18 killed, 100 hurt in train crash
Excerpt:
October 03, 2005
A CROWDED train sped through a railway station in central India, jumped the tracks and crashed into a signal cabin overnight, killing 18 passengers and injuring about 100, authorities said.
The death toll was likely to rise as many passengers remained trapped inside the carriages and 40 of the injured were in a critical condition, they said.
Six coaches of the Bundelkhand Express derailed near Datia town in Madhya Pradesh, about 400km north of the state capital, Bhopal, a police officer said.
He said the train derailed near the Datia station and rescue teams, including soldiers, had reached the site and were removing passengers from the cars.
The officer said the train had been due to stop at the station but sped through and jumped the tracks in an area where coaches are serviced and cleaned.
"We suspect the brakes of the train failed," he said........
Excerpt: "The train's speed limit was supposed to be 15km/h but as far as I have been able to find out, it was going at 90 at the station," said Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.