UPDATE - Scores dead in north India train derailment

UPDATES CASUALTIES, POSSIBLE CAUSE, TURKISH RESPONSE

By Shuriah Niazi

BHOPAL, India (AA) - At least 112 people were killed in a train derailment in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state on Sunday, officials said.

More than 180 passengers were injured, many seriously. Images on local media showed seriously damaged coaches lying on their sides as crowds of people stood around.

The 14-coach express train was travelling from Patna in Bihar state to Indore, Madhya Pradesh, when it derailed at around 3 a.m. local time (2130GMT) near Pukhrayan, 57 kilometers (35 miles) southwest of Kanpur.

“The bodies of 112 people have been kept in the mortuary,” Kanpur’s inspector general of police, Zaki Ahmed, told Anadolu Agency. “Rescue teams are still working at the site.”

Officials said that the toll could rise further due to the nature of many of the wounds. The majority of passengers were sleeping at the time of the accident, the cause of which was not immediately clear although rail officials suggested it could have been caused by a fractured rail.

“Derailment may have been caused because of fault in the tracks,” Rajen Gohain, a minister of state for railways, told local media. “A lot of safety measures have been taken in the last few years and we haven’t seen an incident like this one recently.”

It was the worst train disaster in India since more than 100 were killed in a derailment in West Bengal in May 2010 that was blamed on terrorism.

Two National Disaster Response Force rescue teams are still working at the site. The Hindustan Times reported that 90 soldiers had been sent from Kanpur to help.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing “deep sadness” over the disaster. “We convey our condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives and to the friendly Indian government and people and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded,” it said.

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered an investigation. He announced compensation of 350,000 rupees ($5,133) for the families of the dead.

In a Twitter post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “anguished beyond words” at the loss of life. “My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” he added.

Train accidents are common in India, where more than 22 million people use the rail system daily.

* Diyar Guldogan contributed to this report from Ankara.