Passenger train crashes

2005-04-21 07:34

Ahmadabad - A passenger train slammed into a stationary cargo train in western India on Thursday, killing at least 24 people and leaving dozens more injured, a top official said.

"The figures I have been given are that at least 24 people have died and 56 are injured," Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat state, told reporters at the accident site.

"It's a very serious accident," said Shailendra Kumar, a spokesperson for India's Western Railway. "We are still removing dead and injured from three coaches."

The accident occurred early on Thursday morning when a passenger train coming from the Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi hit the cargo train in the Samlaya village station, about 25km north of the city of Baroda in western Gujarat state.

It was not clear what caused the accident.

"It could be a signal failure or it could be human failure," Kumar said. "At this point we don't know."

India's sprawling railway network, the world's second largest, has poor safety standards and is plagued by accidents. - AP

- SAPA