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At least 24 passengers, including 11 women and five children, were killed and 25 others injured when two passenger trains left the tracks in a rain-soaked area of central India Tuesday night, reports IndiaToday, following days of deadly rain that has triggered floods and mudslides.
The Associated Press reported the Kamayani Express was en route to Mumbai when it slid off the tracks near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state. Later, the Janata Express was traveling in the opposite direction when it also derailed, the report added.
IndiaToday reported that Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu made a statement on the incident in Parliament, saying track washout due to a swollen Machak river led to the derailment of the two trains. A.K. Mittal, a senior official with the railway, told the AP that another train had crossed the small bridge near the Machak River 10 minutes before the first derailment, but then the track sank into the ground because of the flooding.
(MORE: Floods, Landslides Kill Hundreds in Southeastern Asia)
After the trains crashed, 300 people were rescued from the cars, some of which were submerged, the BBC said. At least 25 were injured in the derailment.
Heavy rainfall continued as rescue crews worked to free those trapped in the derailed cars, hindering their efforts, according to the Hindustan Times. According to weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen, 7.24 inches of rain fell in a six-hour period Tuesday night at Indore, one of the weather observation locations closest to the crash site.
The crash comes at a time when the train safety is under deep scrutiny in the country. According to the AP, the Indian government has pledged $137 billion over the next five years to help repair a crumbling infrastructure that's responsible for transporting more than 23 million citizens every day. The trains rarely travel faster than 30 mph, the report added.
A combination of heavy monsoon rains and a recent tropical cyclone has led to more than 400 deaths across six Asian countries, including India, over the past few weeks. The heavy rains have triggered flooding and mudslides that have forced hundreds of thousands from their homes and into relief camps.
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People gather at the site of a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/STR)
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Onlookers stand at the site of a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2
People gather at the scene where two trains derailed near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/STR)
People gather at the site of a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5
, 2
Indian rescue workers search for bodies after a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/STR)
Indian officials stand next to two passenger trains on top of each other following a derailment after they were hit by flash floods on a bridge outside the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state on Aug. 5, 2015. (STR/AFP/Getty Images
015. (AP Photo/STR)
The Associated Press reported the Kamayani Express was en route to Mumbai when it slid off the tracks near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state. Later, the Janata Express was traveling in the opposite direction when it also derailed, the report added.
IndiaToday reported that Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu made a statement on the incident in Parliament, saying track washout due to a swollen Machak river led to the derailment of the two trains. A.K. Mittal, a senior official with the railway, told the AP that another train had crossed the small bridge near the Machak River 10 minutes before the first derailment, but then the track sank into the ground because of the flooding.
(MORE: Floods, Landslides Kill Hundreds in Southeastern Asia)
After the trains crashed, 300 people were rescued from the cars, some of which were submerged, the BBC said. At least 25 were injured in the derailment.
Heavy rainfall continued as rescue crews worked to free those trapped in the derailed cars, hindering their efforts, according to the Hindustan Times. According to weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen, 7.24 inches of rain fell in a six-hour period Tuesday night at Indore, one of the weather observation locations closest to the crash site.
The crash comes at a time when the train safety is under deep scrutiny in the country. According to the AP, the Indian government has pledged $137 billion over the next five years to help repair a crumbling infrastructure that's responsible for transporting more than 23 million citizens every day. The trains rarely travel faster than 30 mph, the report added.
A combination of heavy monsoon rains and a recent tropical cyclone has led to more than 400 deaths across six Asian countries, including India, over the past few weeks. The heavy rains have triggered flooding and mudslides that have forced hundreds of thousands from their homes and into relief camps.
1 of 7
People gather at the site of a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/STR)
2 of 7
Onlookers stand at the site of a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2
People gather at the scene where two trains derailed near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/STR)
People gather at the site of a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5
, 2
Indian rescue workers search for bodies after a train accident near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/STR)
Indian officials stand next to two passenger trains on top of each other following a derailment after they were hit by flash floods on a bridge outside the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state on Aug. 5, 2015. (STR/AFP/Getty Images
015. (AP Photo/STR)
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