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9 killed as speeding train derails in India

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-14 16:00

JAIPUR, India: A speeding train derailed in western India early Saturday killing at least nine people and injuring more than 80 others. Fifteen coaches of the New Delhi-bound train flew off tracks when its driver suddenly applied the brakes because of poor visibility in the region, said Vipin Kumar Pande, superintendent of police.

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The accident occurred near Banshkov, a village nearly 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state.

A broken rail track pierced an air-conditioned coach and killed some of the passengers, Pande told The Associated Press. Rescuers used equipment to cut open some of the coaches to free trapped passengers, he said.

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Accidents are common on India's sprawling rail network, one of the world's largest, with most blamed on poor maintenance.

Last month, a passenger train crashed into another train's rear carriage in northern India, killing 22 people and injuring 16 near Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal.