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At Least 9 Killed, 36 Injured as Train Derails in India (Video)


Fri 14 Jan 2022 | 01:16 PM
Omnia Ahmed

At least nine people were killed and 36 others injured after a passenger train derailed in India's West Bengal state late Thursday, according to the railway operator.

Indian Railways spokesperson Rajesh Bajpai said four out of 12 carriages on the interstate express train veered off the track in the state's Jalpaiguri district.

https://twitter.com/LoveWorld_Peopl/status/1481675211816718337

"It looks like there are no more people trapped in the carriages," said another railway spokesperson, Gurmeet Kaur. She added that workers were restoring the track to allow other trains to pass.

West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was "deeply concerned to hear about the tragic accident."

"Those injured will receive medical attention, as early as possible," she wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

https://twitter.com/BureaucratsInd/status/1481675695021789185

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that his "thoughts are with the bereaved families," and he wished the injured a speedy recovery.

https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1481633401304195077

Reports noted that India's extensive rail network suffers from aging infrastructure and poor maintenance -- factors that are often responsible for accidents.

In 2020, nearly 12,000 people were killed in more than 13,000 train accidents across the country, according to a report last year by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).