Train Derails In Northern India's Uttar Pradesh State, Killing At Least 30 People

Update as of 6:22 a.m. EDT: The death toll from a train derailment in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday rose to 30 people, while 50 others were injured, a railway spokesperson told the BBC. The accident occurred when the engine and two cars of an express train derailed while approaching a station.

An investigation has reportedly been ordered into the incident, which is claimed to have been the result of a brake failure that led the train to overshoot a red light.

Update as of 4:50 a.m. EDT: At least 22 people were killed and over 50 were injured on Friday when two cars of an express train derailed in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, NDTV, a local news network, reported. The accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. local time (12:00 a.m. EDT) when the train was approaching Bachhrawan railway station.

Local reports suggested that the accident occurred due to a brake failure causing the engine to overshoot a red light. An inquiry has been ordered into the accident while rescue work continued in the area.

Original story:

A train in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state derailed on Friday, killing at least six people and injuring several others, media reports said. The accident occurred when the Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express overshot a signal and failed to stop at its designated station in Bachhrawan town in Rae Bareily district, Asian News International (ANI) agency reported, citing a railway official.

Rescue operations have begun in the area while hospitals in the neighboring city of Lucknow have been put on high alert to attend to the injured persons, according to media reports.

Over 50 people were injured when the train's engine and two cars derailed, local news network NDTV reported. While one of the traincars -- a guard car -- was reportedly vacant, the other carried passengers.

"Relief van is on its way, when we have more information, we will let you know," Manoj Sinha, the minister of state for railways, said, according to ANI.

Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has reportedly announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees ($3,201) for the relatives of those killed and 50,000 rupees ($800) for those injured.

Reports about the death toll and the number of people injured in the incident varied in different news sources. A report by the Press Trust of India said that at least 15 people were killed and about 150 were injured.

Last month, nine coaches of a train, which was traveling from Bengaluru in the southern state of Karnataka to Ernakulam in the neighboring state of Kerala, derailed. At least 10 passengers were killed and over 100 were injured in the accident. Last October, two trains collided in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 45 others.