NEW DELHI – At least 11 people were killed and around 20 others injured after a passenger train collided with a cargo train in central India on Tuesday night, officials confirmed.
The tragic accident occurred near Bilaspur, around 115 kilometers northeast of Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, when a local passenger train rammed into a stationary freight train from behind, senior government official Sanjay Agarwal told The Associated Press.
According to Agarwal, one of the passenger coaches mounted the cargo wagon, trapping several passengers inside. Rescue teams worked through the night, using heavy machinery and iron cutters to access the wreckage and recover the bodies. “After hours of effort, we brought the coach down and discovered three more dead bodies inside,” he said.
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The driver of the passenger train was among the dead, while the co-pilot, a woman, was critically injured and taken to a private hospital. The rescue operation concluded early Wednesday, and train movement through the area has now resumed.
Indian Railways announced an inquiry into the cause of the crash and promised financial aid to the victims’ families. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.
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Train accidents remain a recurring tragedy in India’s vast railway network, which carries over 12 million passengers daily. Despite ongoing modernization efforts, hundreds of accidents occur each year, often linked to human error and outdated signaling systems. In one of the worst disasters, more than 280 people were killed in eastern India in 2023.