India rail crash: Death toll hits 145 as rescuers comb through wreckage
Railway minister launches investigation and vows to take 'strictest possible action' against anyone responsible
At least 145 people are now believed to have been killed in India after a train derailed near the village of Pukhrayan, in Uttar Pradesh, in the early hours of Sunday.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, but the Times of India quoted sources as saying a fracture in the track could have been to blame.
Rescue staff using heavy machinery worked through the day and into the night to try to reach survivors.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, who said he was "personally monitoring the situation closely", warned the "strictest possible action will be taken against those who could be responsible for the accident". He also promised to launch an immediate investigation and begin the process of compensating those injured.
Around 23 million passengers a day use the country's vast train network, the fourth largest in the world. Accidents remain "fairly common in India, where much of the railway equipment is out of date", says the BBC. This was one of the worst, if not the worst, this century.
Last year, India announced an investment of $137bn (£111bn) over five years to modernise and expand the railways.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Ashes to ashes, ducks to ducks: the end of Bazball?Talking Point Swashbuckling philosophy of England men’s cricket team ‘that once carried all along with it has become divisive and polarising’
-
The strangely resilient phenomenon of stowaways on planesIn The Spotlight Lapses in security are still allowing passengers to board flights without tickets or passports
-
Four Seasons Seoul: a fascinating blend of old and new in South KoreaThe Week Recommends Located right in the heart of the action, this classy hotel is the perfect base to explore the capital
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Normalising relations with the Taliban in AfghanistanThe Explainer The regime is coming in from the diplomatic cold, as countries lose hope of armed opposition and seek cooperation on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics and deportation of immigrants
-
Pakistan: Trump’s ‘favourite field marshal’ takes chargeIn the Spotlight Asim Munir’s control over all three branches of Pakistan’s military gives him ‘sweeping powers’ – and almost unlimited freedom to use them
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party