At least 59 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said he was ‘saddened’ to learn of a train accident in India’s Amritsar which claimed around 60 lives.
“Saddened to learn of the tragic train accident in Amritsar, India. Condolences go to the families of the deceased,” he tweeted.
At least 59 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.
Millions of Hindus celebrate the festival every year with the burning of giant effigies, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.
“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.
