10 killed in train collision in central India

Ten people were killed and 50 others wounded early Monday morning when a cargo train hit a stationary passenger train in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, reported local TV channel CNN-IBN.

Some passengers were still stuck in the wreckage of the train and rescuers were having a hard time trying to carry out rescue operation in heavy rainfalls, said local TV channel Times Now.

The Press Trust of India said the incident took place at 4:45 a. m. amid heavy rainfalls, which might have hampered visions of the driver of the cargo train.

Two general compartments at the rear part of the passenger train were hit, said the news agency quoting police sources.

Authorities have sent a relief train to the Badarwas railway station near the city of Shivpuri.

A hotline has been opened by the railway authorities to help the relatives seeking information about their kins on the train, said the TV report.

At the Badarwas railway station, the intercity Indore-Gwalior Express was awaiting signal when it was hit from behind by the cargo train, according to the report. Heavy rainfall in the area was hampering rescue operations.

This is the third major train accident in India in about four months' time.

Some 50 people were killed in July when a speeding passenger train hit another passenger train at a railway station in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.

In another accident, about 150 people were killed when a speeding cargo train hit a passenger train which was derailed in West Bengal in late May.

Source: Xinhua