Four dead in India train derailment as 12 coaches come off tracks

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

At least four people were killed and 20 injured on Thursday when a train derailed in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The train was heading from the city of Chandigarh towards Dibrugarh in the northeast when around a dozen passenger coaches came off the tracks.

Early visuals from the scene showed derailed coaches strewn at various angles off the railway tracks in Gonda district, around 100km from Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow.

Dozens of passengers were seen sitting outside with their luggage as rescue workers rushed to the spot.

Authorities said a 40-member medical team had been dispatched to the accident site and 15 ambulances were on their way to treat the injured and move them to a nearby hospital.

Rescuers reached the site shortly after the derailment was reported, said state relief commissioner Naveen Kumar.

The accident likely occurred at around 2.30pm. Several trains plying on the route have been affected and a few have been diverted.

"Our first priority is to complete relief and rescue work there as quickly as possible," said Pankaj Singh, a spokesperson for the Indian Railways.

Federal railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has not issued a statement on the derailment yet.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath has been briefed about the accident, his office said on X.

"The chief minister has instructed the officials to immediately take the injured to the hospital and provide them with proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured," it said.

This is only the latest train derailment on the country’s vast and essential rail network, coming a month after nine people were killed and 25 injured when a passenger service collided with a freight train in West Bengal.

India saw one of its deadliest train crashes last year when over 280 people died in Odisha’s Balasore region after three trains collided due to an error in electronic signalling.