LUCKNOW, India (AP) — At least 74 people were injured after a train derailed in Uttar Pradesh, the second train accident in the northern Indian state in the last three days, officials said Wednesday.

The Kafiyat Express derailed at 2:40 a.m. when a truck carrying sand for construction overturned on the tracks near Auraiya town.

Senior state government official Arvind Kumar said the train driver was forced to brake and the impact caused eight coaches and the engine to go off the rails.

On Sunday, 23 people were killed after 14 coaches of a train derailed in a different part of the state. An investigation has been ordered into that accident.

Accidents are relatively common on India’s huge but badly maintained railway network. The government-run rail network operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries some 23 million passengers every day but safety has been a concern amid a spate of accidents. </s> Ten coaches of Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express derailed in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh early on Wednesday, leaving around 100 passengers injured.

“A dumper hit the locomotive of the Kaifiyat Express, resulting in derailment of coaches,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said. Railway Ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said a dumper was trespassing the railway track between the Pata and Achalda stations in Uttar Pradesh when it hit the Kaifiyat Express which was running at a speed of around 100 km per hour at 2.40 am.

“An unauthorised dumper crossed the railway fence and hit the locomotive of the Kaifiyat Express. As of now 25 passengers are reported injured,” Mr. Saxena said.

Trains cancelled

Due to the accident, six trains were cancelled, 35 diverted and two re-scheduled.

When the train started to wobble, Manoj, a labourer, travelling to Aligarh for work from Azamgarh, thought it would be the end of his life. Manoj was in one of the general coaches that went off the track. He sustained injuries in the head.

Manoj says the impact of the accident created panic among the passengers as they saw smoke rise out of a bogie ahead of them. “Thankfully, we were rescued. We just managed to save our lives,” he says.

Mukesh, another passenger, received injuries on the right hand. A regular commuter of the Kafiyat Express, the electrician from Jaunpur, says the train was travelling faster than usual. “I had never seen this train travel so fast,” he said.

Mukesh said official help arrived at the site — which was far off from dense population — only after 30 minutes. According to a police spokesperson, around 100 passengers were injured and are receiving treatment in various hospitals and State health centres. However, the Railway Ministry maintained that 42 passengers were injured.

Second case

This is the second case of train derailment in the last five days. On Saturday evening, Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailed at Khatauli near Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, killing 21 people and injuring over 80 passengers. The accident caused due to negligence by the maintenance team working on the track. The Railway Ministry has sent three top officials on leave, suspended four local level officials and transferred another official after finding lapses in the maintenance work that led to the derailment. </s> LUCKNOW, India — At least 74 people were injured after a train derailed in Uttar Pradesh, the second train accident in the northern Indian state in the last three days, officials said Wednesday.

The Kafiyat Express derailed at 2:40 a.m. when a truck carrying sand for construction overturned on the tracks near Auraiya town.

Senior state government official Arvind Kumar said the train driver was forced to brake and the impact caused eight coaches and the engine to go off the rails.

On Sunday, 23 people were killed after 14 coaches of a train derailed in a different part of the state. An investigation has been ordered into that accident. </s> Officials say at least 74 people have been injured after a train derailed in Uttar Pradesh, the second train accident in the northern Indian state in the last three days.

The Kafiyat Express derailed overnight when a truck carrying sand for construction overturned on the tracks near Auraiya town.

Senior state government official Arvind Kumar says the train driver was forced to brake and the impact caused the train to go off the rails.

On Sunday, 23 people were killed after 14 coaches of a train derailed in a different part of the state. </s> Indian authorities wrapped up rescue operations in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday after a train derailed, killing at least six people, and injuring around 25.

The accident occurred around 6:30 am on Wednesday near Rae Bareli when several coaches of a New Delhi-bound train derailed, a National Disaster Management Authority official, Niraj Kumar told EFE. </s> At least 26 killed as Indian train derails

MUMBAI, Jan 22 (Reuters) - At least 26 people were killed and 50 injured on Saturday night when nine coaches of a passenger train derailed in eastern India, in the latest disaster to hit the vast and accident-prone state railways, police said.

The express train from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar derailed near Kuneri station, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, around 30 km (18 miles) outside the town of Raigarh.

"Nine bogies were derailed of which three have turned and fallen off the track," said local Superintendent of Police L.K.V. Ranga Rao. "Most of the casualties and deaths are from the three sleeper-class compartments."

No evidence of sabotage has been detected, Rao said, adding the cause of the derailment appeared to be a technical fault. Rescue operations were under way and coaches that had not derailed had been towed from the scene.

India's state railways, built during British colonial rule, have an appalling safety record - the result of decades of underinvestment and a priority on keeping fares low for the 23 million passengers who use the network every day.

In the last serious accident, 150 people died when a train derailed late last year in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. India recorded 27,581 railway deaths in 2014, the most recent year for which figures are available, with most victims falling from, or being struck by, moving trains.

"Anguished to learn about the train accident near Vizianagaram," Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said on Twitter, offering his condolences to the families of the victims. "We are investigating the reason for accident."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted that the tragedy was "saddening" and said the railways ministry was working to ensure quick relief and rescue operations. (Reporting by Douglas Busvine and Suvashree Choudhury; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) </s> At least 39 people were killed and 50 injured when nine coaches of a passenger train derailed in eastern India in the latest disaster to hit the vast and crash-prone state railways.

The Hirakhand express train from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar derailed at about 11.20pm on Saturday night near Kuneri station, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, about 30km from the town of Rayagada.

The reason for the derailment has not been ascertained, said JP Mishra, the chief public relations officer at East Coast Railway, adding that they were not ruling out the possibility of foul play and investigations will be conducted. The area in which the incident occurred is one where Maoist rebels typically operate.

Video footage from the scene showed members of the disaster management team and locals trying to rescue trapped passengers from windows and debris using phones to provide light.

“We will take strict action against whoever is behind this act,” said Indian railways minister Suresh Prabhu. “We won’t spare anyone responsible for this accident.”

Nine bogies were derailed of which three fell off the track, said a local police spokesman, adding that most of the casualties and deaths were from the three sleeper-class compartments.

India’s state railways, built during British colonial rule, have an appalling safety record after decades of underinvestment and a priority on keeping fares low for the 23 million passengers who use the network every day.

In the last serious incident, 150 people died when a train derailed late last year in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. India recorded 27,581 railway deaths in 2014, the most recent year for which figures are available, with most victims falling from, or being struck by, moving trains. </s> NEW DELHI: At least 13 people were killed and around 100 injured after an express train derailed in southeastern India in the latest disaster to hit one the world's largest rail networks.

Seven coaches and the engine of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar express derailed at 11.00pm local time on Saturday (1.30am Singapore time Sunday) near Kuneru railway station in the Vizianagram district of Andhra Pradesh state.

"Thirteen people are confirmed dead and scores are injured," J. P. Mishra, a spokesman for East Coast Railways told AFP. "The injured have been shifted to two nearby hospitals," he said.

Officials from the railway and local government were carrying out rescue work and relief trains had been sent to evacuate passengers, he said. He did not immediately give a cause for the derailment.

The train was travelling from Jagdalpur city to l Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha state, when it came off the track, nearly 160 kilometres from Visakhapatnam, the nearest city to the accident site. Rail traffic on the coast line has been suspended.

The incident comes nearly two months after 146 people were killed when a passenger train was derailed in Kanpur, northern India.

Last month two people were killed and dozens injured after another train derailed also near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh state.

India's railway network is still the main form of long-distance travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents occur relatively frequently.

In 2014, an express train ploughed into a stationary freight train, also in Uttar Pradesh, killing 26 people.

A 2012 government report said almost 15,000 people were killed every year on India's railways and described the loss of life as an annual "massacre".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has pledged to invest US$137 billion over five years to modernise its crumbling railways, making them safer, faster and more efficient. </s> Five people have died and several people have been injured after a train derailed in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli this morning, according to news agency ANI.

The accident took place near the Harchandpur railway station in Raebareli.

Rescue teams are at the site of accident. The injured passengers have been taken to nearby hospitals.

Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani on way to accident site, according to news agency PTI, quoting sources.

Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has directed officials and health authorities to provide all possible relief and rescue efforts.
A passenger train collided with a dump truck on the line at Auraiya, India, and was derailed. Twenty-five people were injured.