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| Sunday, 30 October 2005 |
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Over hundred killed in train accident NEW DELHI, Oct 29 (AFP) More than 100 people killed more were feared dead when a passenger train derailed and toppled into swirling floodwaters in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh early Saturday, an AFP correspondent on the scene said. He said he had seen at least 50 bodies recovered by rescuers. Windows were broken on one carriage through which passengers appeared to have escaped but two nearby carriages still appeared to contain bodies, he said. The bodies which had been recovered lay uncovered waiting for identification by family members. The Press Trust of India reported that rescue teams, using cutting tools to break into the mangled compartments, had recovered 50 bodies. The Delta Fast Passenger train derailed as it hit a section of the track at Nalgonda, about 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the state capital Hyderabad. That section of track had been submerged by floodwaters from an overflowing reservoir nearby. The reservoir had been hit by flash floods caused by rains which have swamped southern India for more than a week, a railways official said. Male and female corpses lay on the soft marshy ground, many clad in brightly colored but now sodden clothes, television images showed. Some looked as if they were sleeping. One man died with his arm outstretched as if grasping for someone or something. But two army helicopters which had been hauling bodies away with a rope and harness called off operations because it was proving too difficult, officials at the scene said. Rescue teams, with the help of local villagers, were instead using ropes to help them wade through the water to reach the train carriages and then drag bodies onto higher land. Two men helped each other carry the body of a little boy, one taking him by the arms, the other holding the child's legs. Fourteen inflatable boats were brought in to help with the removal of the bodies, a disaster management official said. Ashim Khurana, joint secretary in the home ministry for disaster management, said naval divers were joining the rescue mission. Khurana emphasized the difficulty of the task. "You can't access the train because of the gushing water. The rear engine is pulling the train (into the water)." Television pictures showed brown muddy waters swirling around the wreckage. Passengers waiting to be rescued stood on top of some of the carriages which had not been fully submerged. Some passengers were shown climbing gingerly down a rickety-looking white ladder placed against one carriage. Two ropes strung along either side of the ladder served as an additional support to those who warily disembarked. More than 700 passengers were rescued from the train, authorities said. |
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