Passenger train collides with cargo train in central India, killing at least 8 people

NEW DELHI (AP) – A passenger train crashed into a cargo train in central India Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring several others, a senior government official said.

The incident happened near Bilaspur, about 116 kilometers (72 miles) from Chhattisgarh’s state capital, Raipur.

Local television channels showed images of one train colliding with another near the accident site. Rescuers are searching through the debris for survivors.

The local passenger train hit the goods train from behind, senior government official Sanjay Agarwal told The Associated Press, adding that a coach ended up on top of a wagon of the goods train.

A “rescue team is trying to cut through the train to take out at least two passengers trapped inside,” he said. “We hope they will be alive but can’t confirm until we get them out.”

About a dozen people were injured in the accident and have been taken to local hospitals for treatment. The condition of one of them is critical, said Agarwal, who serves as the district collector of Bilaspur where the incident occurred.

In a statement, network operator Indian Railways said it has moved all its resources for rescue efforts. It said an inquiry into the cause of the accident has been started.

Chhattisgarh’s highest-elected official Vishnu Deo Sai offered his condolences to the bereaved families.

Train collisions aren’t uncommon in India where the vast rail network faces issues of aging infrastructure and human error.

More than 12 million people travel on India’s 14,000 trains each day across 64,000 kilometers of track. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents – some deadly – occur annually and are often blamed on human error or outdated signaling systems.

A crash in the eastern part of the country in 2023 killed more than 280 people in what was one of India’s deadliest train disasters.