- Title: Deadly Indian train accident raises safety concerns
- Date: 21st November 2016
- Summary: KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (NOVEMBER 21, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI) EXTERIOR OF HOSPITAL DOCTORS CARING FOR INJURED PATIENT INJURED MAN LYING ON BED INJURED PEOPLE LYING ON HOSPITAL BEDS KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (NOVEMBER 21, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI) PASSENGERS SITTING NEAR ACCIDENT SITE WITH BAGS OF LUGGAGE POLICE AND NDRF (National Disaster Response Forces) TEAMS AT SITE CRANE LIFTING DAMAGED CARRIAGE NEW DELHI, INDIA (NOVEMBER 20, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI) (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) MEMBER OF INDIAN RAILWAY BOARD, MOHAMMAD JAMSHED, SAYING: "When derailment happens, there are lot of things which are taken into consideration. The train is stopped when a jerk is felt in the rear end or if there was a vibration in the wires. The drivers will give their statement to the Commission Railway Safety." MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA (NOVEMBER 21, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI) EXTERIOR OF RAILWAY STATION SIGN READING (Hindi and English): "LOKMANYA TILAK TERMINAL L.T.T" PASSENGERS WALKING WITH LUGGAGE PASSENGERS WALKING OUT OF THE RAILWAY STATION (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) RAIL COMMUTER, MANOJ SINGH, SAYING: "Travelling by train is not at all safe at the moment as so many incidents are happening. We are afraid of the railways. Our family members are also scared whether we reached our destination safely or not." NEW DELHI, INDIA (NOVEMBER 21, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI) VARIOUS OF TRAIN STANDING AT PLATFORM VARIOUS OF RAIL COMMUTER, LOKESH SHARMA, STANDING AND TALKING LUGGAE LYING ON PLATFORM (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi and English) RAIL COMMUTER, LOKESH SHARMA, SAYING: "Nobody feels and takes the responsibility. There is a casual attitude in people when it comes to such things and now lives are lost and people have suffered a lot." VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS AT THE PLATFORM
- Embargoed: 5th December 2016 14:46
- Keywords: Kanpur Suresh Prabhu Indian railways Train derailment
- Location: MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA/NEW DELHI, KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
- City: MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA/NEW DELHI, KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
- Country: India
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVA00359E1A9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
Indian rescuers on Monday (November 21) called off the search of the mangled carriages of a derailed train after pulling more bodies from the wreckage, taking to at least 142 the number of passengers killed in the disaster.
The derailment which happened on Sunday (November 20) was India's deadliest train crash since 2010 and has renewed concern about the poor safety standard of the state-run network, which is a lifeline for millions of Indians but has suffered from chronic underinvestment.
Former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi said the tragedy was a wake-up call for Indian railway system.
"The focus of the railway ministry has changed and this is not the derailment of a train, I think it is the derailment of the entire railway organisation," Trivedi said.
Sunday's crash is a stark reminder of how hard it will be for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfill his promise to transform the railways into a more efficient, safer network befitting India's economic power.
Indian railway minister Suresh Prabhu told the parliament that a forensic enquiry was ordered into the rail crash, adding the guilty will not be spared.
"There shall be a separate comprehensive investigation, headed by latest technical and forensic analysis by an appropriate agency to look into all possible angles. Strictest possible action would be taken against the guilty," Prabhu said.
Authorities are looking into the possibility that a fractured track caused the train to roll off the rails on its journey between the central Indian city of Indore and the eastern city of Patna. They said the drivers will give their statement to the Commission of Railway Safety.
"When derailment happens, there are lot of things which are taken into consideration. The train is stopped when a jerk is felt in the rear end or if there was a vibration in the wires. The drivers will give their statement to the Commission Railway Safety," said a member of the Indian railway board, Mohammad Jamshed.
The crash came during India's busy wedding season and media said blood-stained bags of saris and wedding cards carried by at least one wedding party on board were scattered beside the wreckage.
The derailment injured more than 200 people, at least 58 of them seriously, officials said, as relatives thronged hospitals in a search for survivors.
The largely colonial-era system, the world's fourth largest, carries about 23 million people every day. But it is saturated and ageing badly. Average speeds top just 50 km/h and train accidents are common. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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