News
Show news feed

At least 61 people were killed and over 70 others injured in northern Indian state of Punjab after a train ran into a crowd watching festivities of a Hindu festival on the railway tracks, officials said Saturday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

“So far 61 people, including women and children, have been killed in the incident,” a local government official told the media. “And 72 others who were injured have been admitted at a hospital here.”

Earlier, 50 people were reported dead.

The incident took place on Friday evening at Jaura Phatak in Amritsar, the Sikh holy city of Punjab.

Officials said the crowd had gathered to watch the celebrations of Hindu festival Dussehra, when a train ran over hundreds of them standing on a railway track.

Dussehra is a Hindu festival marking the triumph of good over evil. Effigies are burnt and fireworks are set off as part of the festival in north India.

As the firecracker-filled effigy was lit and fireworks went off, there was lot of noise, and the people who were hit could not see or hear the train that was coming. 

Reports said around 700 people were witnessing the effigy burning and over 300 were on the tracks.

!
This text available in   Հայերեն and Русский
Print
Read more:
All
Photos