Train derails in India, casualties reported
At least 15 people were killed and more than two dozen others injured when four coaches of a special holiday train derailed overnight on Sunday in the western Indian state of Maharahstra, said police on Monday.
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Rescue efforts are underway |
The accident occurred late on Sunday near the town of Rajapur, about 400 km south of Mumbai, when the train travelling from the neighbouring state of Karnataka hit boulders on the track, said a police spokesman.
“The boulders and mud had rolled onto the tracks due to a possible landslide as the region had been witnessing heavy rains in the last four days,” said a spokesman.
Rescue efforts were underway and the toll might rise, said the police spokesman.
Railway officials said the region of Sindhudurg, where the accident occurred, had been experiencing heavy rains over the past four days.
A relief train from the town of Ratnagiri had been sent to the site. Trains travelling the route have been cancelled for 24 hours.
Railway officials said the injured and killed had been moved to nearby hospitals.