AMRITSAR, India: At least 50 people were killed Friday after a train plowed into revellers celebrating a Hindu festival in northern India, police said, the latest major accident on the country's crumbling rail network.
A crowd had gathered on railway tracks in the city of Amritsar in Punjab state to watch a fireworks show marking the Dussehra festival when the train barrelled down the line at speed.
"There are more than 50 dead. The priority now is to take the injured to the hospital," Amritsar city police commissioner S. S. Srivastava told reporters.
More than 60 people who were injured were being given emergency treatment at various hospitals across the city, he added.
An AFP photographer at the scene said some victims had lost limbs in the accident while others suffered head wounds.
"There was a lot of noise as firecrackers were being let off and it appears they (victims) were unable to hear the approaching train," a police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
An eyewitness told a local TV channel there was "utter commotion" when the crowds noticed the train "coming very fast" towards them.
"Everyone was running helter-skelter and suddenly the train crashed into the crowds of people," he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered an investigation into the deadly accident and announced a monetary compensation of 500,000 rupees ($6800) each to the family of the victims.
"We have reports that some 50-60 people have died. We have asked all hospitals to remain open through the night so that the injured can be treated," Singh told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the "heart-wrenching tragedy" and asked officials to provide immediate assistance to the injured.
Some relatives of the deceased blamed the authorities for allowing a "big function" to be held next to the railway track.
An eyewitness said people were taking pictures on their mobile phones and "they were not given any warning that they should not stand on the tracks."
India's railway network is the world's fourth largest and remains the main form of travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents often occur.
The country is home to hundreds of railway crossings that are unmanned and particularly accident prone, with people often ignoring oncoming train warnings.
A 2012 government report described the loss of 15,000 passengers to rail accidents every year in India as a "massacre".
Premier Modi has pledged $137 billion over five years to modernise the crumbling network.
Railway minister Piyush Goyal said Friday he was cancelling his trip to the US and returning to India immediately.
"May God give strength to the bereaved and injured," Goyal tweeted.
"Railways is providing all possible assistance at the site."
Millions of Hindus celebrate the Dussehra festival with the burning of giant effigies, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.
More than 60 killed after train plows into crowd in India
More than 60 killed after train plows into crowd in India
Hundreds rally in Paris to support Ukraine after four years of war
- Demonstrators chanted: “We support Ukraine against Putin, who is killing it“
- “Frozen Russian assets must be confiscated, they belong to Ukraine“
PARIS: Around one thousand took to the streets of Paris on Saturday to show their “massive support” for Ukraine, just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Demonstrators marching through the French capital chanted: “We support Ukraine against Putin, who is killing it,” and “Frozen Russian assets must be confiscated, they belong to Ukraine.”
“In public opinion, there is massive support for Ukraine that has not wavered since the first day of the full-scale invasion” by the Russian army on February 24, 2022, European Parliament member Raphael Glucksmann, told AFP.
“On the other hand, in the French political class, sounds of giving up are starting to emerge. On both the far left and the far right, voices of capitulation are getting louder and louder,” he added.
In the crowd, Irina Kryvosheia, a Ukrainian who arrived in France several years ago, “thanked with all her heart the people present.”
She said they reminded “everyone that what has been happening for four years is not normal, it is not right.”
Kryvosheia said she remains in daily contact with her parents in Kyiv, who told her how they were deprived “for several days” of heating, electricity and running water following intense bombardments by the Russian army.
Francois Grunewald, head of “Comite d’Aide Medicale Ukraine,” had just returned from a one-month mission in the country, where the humanitarian organization has delivered around forty generators since the beginning of the year.
Russia’s full-scale invasion sent shockwaves around the world and triggered the bloodiest and most destructive conflict in Europe since World War II.
The war has seen tens of thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of military personnel killed on both sides. Millions of refugees have fled Ukraine, where vast areas have been devastated by fighting.
Russia occupies nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and its heavy attacks on the country’s energy sites have sparked a major energy crisis.
