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At least 15 die in Indian train crash in West Bengal

According to officials cited by the Press Trust of India, a train accident in the north-western Indian state of West Bengal has resulted in fatalities and multiple injuries, with a reported death toll of at least 15.

DPA ASIA
Published June 17,2024
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At least 15 people have been killed and a number of others injured in a train accident in the north-western Indian state of West Bengal, the Press Trust of India reported, citing officials.

A freight train is reported to have collided with a passenger train, resulting in a number of passenger carriages being derailed.

Many of the trains and tracks on India's large rail network are old and in need of repair. Accidents are relatively frequent. In the worst accident in 1981, at least 800 people died.

The Indian government has recently invested heavily in modernization, including in express trains.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office announced that the families of those killed in Monday's accident would receive 200,000 rupees ($2,400) and the injured 50,000 rupees each. Such compensation is usual practice after Indian train accidents.