AT LEAST eight people were killed and dozens injured after a passenger train was hit by a goods train in eastern India.
Shocking footage shows one of the destroyed carriages suspended almost vertically in the air as worried onlookers gather nearby.
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Rescue teams and emergency personnel rushed to the scene after the Kanchanjunga Express was hit from behind by a goods train.
The accident took place in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Monday morning.
Around 60 people were injured in the terrible accident, PTI reports, but at least 25 of them did not suffer fatal injuries.
They were rushed to a nearby hospital as authorities continue the rescue operation, ANI reports.
Several carriages on the express train derailed upon impact.
The death toll remained relatively low after the collision because the rear of the passenger train was made up of a freight van and a guard car.
The carriages with passengers remained further ahead, NDTV reports.
The goods train reportedly overshot the signal before colliding with the Kanchanjunga Express.
Indian North East Frontier Railway public relations director Sabyasachi De told ANI, “Around 25 people were injured and shifted to a nearby hospital.
“These are non-fatal injuries. The rescue operation is on a war footing.
“We are trying to complete the rescue operation as quickly as possible. Senior officials have already reached the spot.
“According to preliminary information that Kanchenjunga was hit from behind by a goods train…We have information of 8 deaths.”
State Minister Mamata Banerjee said this morning: “I am shocked to learn recently about a tragic train accident in the Phansidewa area of Darjeeling district.
“Doctors, ambulances and emergency teams were rushed to the scene for rescue, recovery and medical assistance. Wartime actions were initiated.”
The Kanchanjunga Express connects the northeastern regions of Assam and Tripura with West Bengal.
He was traveling along a route called the Chicken Neck corridor. this morning when the accident occurred, according to reports.
Tourists often hire the service to travel to Darjeeling.
In June last year, a massive rail accident in India killed nearly 300 people and injured more than 1,000 when a passenger train derailed.
It collided with two other trains on the tracks, with horrific footage showing the crushed carriages and emergency crews trying to rescue survivors.
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