At least 288 dead in three train collisions in India

At least 288 people have been killed and more than 900 injured in a collision involving three trains in eastern India. Although train accidents are common in India due to aging rail infrastructure and poor safety management, there are observations that this crash is the worst train disaster in this area in the 21st century.

According to the Associated Press and Reuters, the first collision occurred around 7:00 pm (local time) on Friday when a passenger train heading from Shalimar in northeast India to Chennai in the south collided with a stationary freight train that was running on a track different from the one previously used. In the aftermath of the collision, 10 to 12-passenger train coaches derailed, causing a second crash with another passenger train coming from the opposite direction. A total of 17 coaches derailed as a result of the two crashes.

India's railway authorities announced that more than 288 people were killed in the accident as of Saturday. The death toll is expected to rise as hundreds are still trapped in crumpled cars, and many are seriously injured.

The direct cause of the accident was reported to be outdated signaling equipment. South East Railways of India, which operates the line where the accident occurred, told Reuters that "it appears that the first passenger train that collided had received an erroneously transmitted signal before entering the track where the freight train was parked, causing the derailment." Some pointed out the outdated railway infrastructure, such as missing a train collision prevention system, "Kavach," in the section where the deadly accident occurred.


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