India has been rocked by a horrific train accident that took place in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in the wee hours of Sunday.
It was reported that 14 coaches, including four air-conditioned coaches, of the Indore-Patna express train, have derailed near Kanpur Dehat district's Pukhrayan area, killing at least 96 people and injuring more than 150 passengers, said the Kanpur Dehat Superintendents of Police Prabhakar Chowdhury. The rescue operations are still going on and the railways officials said that the death toll may increase.
Spokesperson of Indian Railways, Anil Saxena said that the government is doing their best to rescue the victims and provide them with the best medical facilities. "Senior officials and medical team have been rushed to the spot. We are in contact with the district officials."
Police, however, could not give an immediate explanation on how the accident happened and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu ordered a probe into the matter and said that strict action will be taken if someone is found guilty.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to extend his condolence to the victims' families. The government has also announced 3.5 lakh rupees for the families of the deceased, 50,000 for critically injured and 25,000 for victims with minor injuries.
Indian Railways is one of the world's largest railway networks comprising 115,000 km (71,000 mi) of track over a route of 67,312 km (41,826 mi) and 7,112 stations and ferries more than 20 million people each day, however, the poor safety record have become a pressing concern for the country and is responsible for death of more thousands of people due to accidents.
Already in the year of 2016, at least six accidents have been recorded, including derailment of Kanyakumari-Bangalore City Express and Kanyakumari-Dibrugrah Vivek Express .
