12 Dead 45 Injured in Train Collision in India

Twelve persons were killed and 45 injured in a train collision Tuesday in Gorakhpur, a city in northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India.

Two express trains rammed into each other at 11 p.m. local time when one of them jumped a signal, confirmed Chief Public Relation Officer of North- Eastern Railway Alok Kumar Singh, reports the Daily News and Analysis.

The two trains were the Lucknow Krishak Express and the Barauni-bound express train.

"Prima facie it appears the Krishak Express was supposed to stop, but it overshot the signal," he said. The train was going towards Lucknow, the state capital  while Barauni express was coming from the state capital. Three coaches of Barauni Express are badly damaged.

"The death toll stands at 12. Another 45 people are injured," another railway spokes person Anil Saxena confirmed, reports the Agence France Presse.

The driver of the Krishak Express has been suspended for overshooting the signal, he said.

Out of the 45 injured 12 are reportedly in a serious condition.  All have been admitted to various hospitals in Gorakhpur. A rescue team has already been dispatched to the accident site.

Railways Minister Sadanand Gowda blamed human error for the accident and said an official inquiry was underway.

"It's (the) loco pilot's mistake, who neglected the signal. The loco pilot has been suspended, strict action will be taken for negligence," the minister wrote on Twitter.

It is festival time in India and trains are running packed as people are rushing home to celebrate the Hindu festival of Dusshera on Friday. It has turned into a long weekend with a national holiday falling on Thursday

Railways are the life force of India connecting the remotest regions and carrying millions of passengers daily. A 2012  government report said almost 15,000 people are killed every year on the network. It described the deaths as an annual "massacre" due mainly to poor safety standards, reports AFP.