India has had several major train accidents in the past 15 years.
At least 233 people died, and more than 900 were hurt when the Coromandel Express and the SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express collided on Friday night. This was one of the worst train accidents to happen in India in the last 10 years. Multiple groups are still trying to get the people stuck in the broken train cars to safety.
1. In 2010, at least 148 people died on the Mumbai-bound Jnaneswari Express when a few cars went off the tracks between Khemashuli and Sardhia on the South Eastern Railway after midnight on May 28 and fell on the tracks next to them. A goods train coming from the other way crashed through the coaches in just a few minutes. There were more than 200 injuries. It was said that Maoists had ruined the tracks, which led to the tragedy in West Bengal.
2. Uttar Banga Express and Vananchal Express, 2010: The Uttar Banga Express and the Vananchal Express collided at Sainthia, West Bengal, on July 19, 2010. Approximately 63 individuals were killed, and another 165 were injured.
3. 2011, Chhapra-Mathura Express: On July 7, 2011, the Chhapra-Mathura Express collided with a bus at Etah district in Uttar Pradesh.
69 people died in the accident, and many others were badly hurt. The accident happened around 1:55 a.m. at a level crossing that no one was watching. The train was going very fast, and the bus was pulled for about 500 meters.
4. Hubli-Bangalore Hampi Express: The Hubli-Bangalore Hampi Express and a goods train had a head-on collision in Andhra Pradesh on May 23, 2012. About 25 people were killed and many more were injured when four buses derailed and one caught fire during the accident. Forty-three people were hurt in the collision.
5. Tamil Nadu Express: In a fire on the Delhi–Chennai Tamil Nadu Express at Nellore on July 30, 2012, more than 30 individuals lost their lives.
6. Gorakhdham Express: On May 26, 2014, the Gorakhdham Express, which was going to Gorakhpur, hit stopped goods train near Khalilabad station. This accident killed 25 people and hurt more than 50 others.
7. Janata Express accident: On March 20, 2015, a big accident happened on the Janata Express as it travelled from Dehradun to Varanasi. When the train's engine and two adjacent cars went off the tracks near Bachrawan Railway Station in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, more than 30 people died, and about 150 were hurt.
8. 2016, Patna-Indore Express: On November 20, 2016, the 19321 Indore-Patna Express crashed near Pukhrayan, Kanpur. At least 150 people were killed, and more than 150 were hurt.
9. The Kalinga-Utkal Express had an accident on August 19, 2017, near Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The train was going from Haridwar to Puri. 14 cars of the train went off the tracks, killing 21 people and hurting 97 others.
10. Kaifiyat Express: The Kaifiyat Express derailed at Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, on August 23, 2017, with nine cars inside. The train was headed for Delhi. Seventy persons were harmed at minimum. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in this train crash.
11. 2022, Bikaner-Guwahati Express: At least 12 coaches were lost when the Bikaner-Guwahati Express derailed at Alipurdar, West Bengal, on January 13, 2022. There were nine fatalities and 36 injuries.
In 2002, one of Indian Railways' best trains, the Rajdhani Express, had one of the worst things happen.
The 2301 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express went off the tracks between Gaya and Dehri-on-Sone stations in Bihar at 10:40 p.m. on September 10, 2002, killing more than 140 people when 14 cars fell into the Dhawa river.
In the past few years, the Railways have put a lot of effort into ensuring safe train passengers. They have improved the lines and put in a " kavach " device to keep trains from colliding head-on. The Railways also got rid of all the automated level crossings on its broad gauge network.
But an accident on Friday involving the Coromandel Express and the SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express has once again focused on track safety, even though the Indian Railways have taken steps to improve it.
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