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TWO PASSENGER TRAINS derailed after being hit by flash floods on a bridge in central India, killing at least 24 people in the latest deadly accident on the nation’s crumbling rail network.
Rescuers have been searching through the night for passengers trapped on the trains that toppled when a swollen river struck the tracks in Madhya Pradesh state, railway officials said.
Roughly 300 people were rescued after about 10 of the trains’ carriages derailed outside the town of Harda at about 11.30pm yesterday, police and other officials said.
A passenger described how water poured into the carriages in the minutes after the accident.
“Water filled the coach till here,” the unnamed man told a regional TV station, gesturing to his waist.
Another said there was “a sudden jerk and the carriage broke and people were crushed under that”.
Television footage showed carriages lying on their sides in a field of mud and medical supplies piled on a nearby station platform.
“All the coaches have been cleared and all bodies have been collected from inside,” Madhya Pradesh railway police chief M.S Gupta told AFP.
At least another 25 people have been injured and taken to hospital, other rescue officials said, adding that carriages were not feared to have sunk in the river.
The Kamayani Express travelling from the financial city of Mumbai appeared to have been hit by a sudden surge of water on the swollen Machak river, derailing the last four to five carriages, railway ministry spokesman Anil Saxena told Indian television.
The Janata Express, travelling to Mumbai from the eastern city of Patna, was also hit by the water, with the engine and the first two to three carriages derailing, he said.
“There is some suggestion of flash floods on the tracks that caved the tracks. Most of the coaches had passed but the last few carriages were derailed,” Saxena said of the first train.
Rescuers with specialist cutting equipment and diving suits have been deployed along with doctors to the accident site.
Working in darkness
Rescuers were initally working through the night mostly in darkness, with the flood waters hampering their efforts.
“The entire area has been reeling under heavy rainfall for the last few days. The roads are badly damaged, even the access road,” Saxena said.
The heavy flow of water had pushed some of the bodies from the carriages into a nearby field, railway police chief Gupta said.
Monsoon rains have hit large swathes of the country in recent weeks, flooding rivers and roads and claiming some 180 lives in mainly western and eastern India.
The government has ordered an inquiry into the cause of the accident, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness at the loss of life.
“Authorities are doing everything possible on the ground. The situation is being monitored very closely,” Modi said on Twitter.
“Rushing emergency medical and other relief personnel to spot, darkness, water creating hurdles but ordered all possible help. Trying our best,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Twitter shortly after the accident.
- © AFP 2015.
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All talk & no meaningful action
@Martin Sinnott: At least the minister was able to see the Law Society’s advice was completely biased and ignore it. Higher payouts mean higher legal fees. Despite loads of evidence that payouts are way above the European norm in Ireland, the Law Soceity suggests the problem is due to the insurance companies despite having zero evidence to base that on
@Dow Dubrov: One reason we have higher awards than in the UK is because Irish courts have to compensate for the cost of medical treatment – frequently a lifelong consequence of an injury – because the HSE is entitled to recover it from the award – even in the case of medical card holders. In the UK, which has free healthcare, no provision for medical treatment need be made.
Secondly, Courts Service statistics show the number of personal injuries claims is static and the quantum of claims has fallen by 20% at a time when increased economic activity has seen a huge increase in premium income for insurers.
Yet premia keep getting ramped up.
@Peter O’Muiri: never looked at it that way Peter, food for thought tumbs up .
@Dow Dubrov :You hit the nail fairly and squarely on the head!! That’s the problem with most aspects of life and business in Ireland ——-The solicitors, barristers senior councils, junior councils and judges all have to get their tonne of flesh.
@Martin Sinnott: exactly. Was gonna say more bluster
Simply not good enough. He’s there to do a job. He’s telling us he can’t do anything about it, and then he expects to keep his job!
Hey Journal. Where’s the article on ministers assistants being overpaid that you put up at 12:10 last nite but has now disappeared??? Hiding it at 12:10am was sus enough but now tis gone altogether???
@GrahamMManning: apologies. Back and with original comments. Xoxo
As usual people in ireland are focusing on the wrong issue and blaming the big, bad insurers. The reality is that there is a huge claim culture here, aided and abetted by the legal profession. Insurance companies exist to make a profit and if they can’t do that easily they’ll leave the country. Problem is that the government are terrified of upsetting the legal profession.
@The Guru: The reality is the insurance companies are grossly exaggerating the amount of fraudulent claims, and the effect of larger claims. The average premium has increased so much that the costs of these claims has been way more than covered.
The problem is the insurance companies are making huge profits and lying about the cause of their premium increases
@Dave Harris: why are they leaving the country if the profits are so good? Why isn’t there a queue of international insurers trying to enter the market?
@The Guru: sure wasn’t there a 1500% profit last year?
@The Guru: One reason we have higher awards than in the UK is because Irish courts have to compensate for the cost of medical treatment – frequently a lifelong consequence of an injury – because the HSE is entitled to recover it from the award – even in the case of medical card holders. In the UK, which has free healthcare, no provision for medical treatment need be made.
Secondly, Courts Service statistics show the number of personal injuries claims is static and the quantum of claims has fallen by 20% at a time when increased economic activity has seen a huge increase in premium income for insurers.
Yet premia keep getting ramped up.
@Trevor Connolly: I mean increase of 1500% on prev yr
The government could make a start by removing the government levy on insurance premiums.
Google “cartel” that’s what’s happening here. The government and the legal profession are complicant
Who is in charge? The toothless government or insurers? Tax the bastrds profits 50% over a certain figure. Cannot believe how much mothering costs in Ireland, must be the dearest in Europe. My 2litTD 3rd Party €184 a year, road tax because it’s an old vehicle is €42 as opposed to €701 in Ireland. We left 5 years ago, luckily I don’t have close family alive there anymore. We couldn’t afford to live there, it wasn’t a life, more an existence . Couldn’t ever see myself returning again.
@Gus Sheridan: ….damned predictive text…. motoring costs….
@Gus Sheridan: smart move tax the competition out of the market that will really help premiums come down.
@Gus Sheridan: yea tax them more so they pass it onto the customer, great plan……
Huge profits by the insurance companies, time to introduce Australian style 3rd insurance with car registration.
Let the companies bid for it.
@paul kelly: If the insurance companies want to benefit from the fact that having a car insured is a legal requirement then the government should have more sway over the costs of car insurance. I would agree that the Australian style 3rd party insurance system is the way to go – but thatcheritte conservative Fine Gael cannot wrap their tiny greedy brains around it
Keep the recovery going…………..for a tiny minority.
Even if the claims are high, there can be no way that this is the full reason why premiums are so high. It comes down to one thing. These companies are little better than thieves. When the levies were imposed all companies were to put about 5% on to premiums. Most went up by over 20. They all did this to ensure that no competition of note arose. If the government wanted to do something about this then why not attempt to make it legal for cars to be insured by companies operating in other EU jurisdictions. Let the companies here fail.
@The Oracle: because EU law stops it. Cars must be insured in the country they are registered
@John Horan: you’re wrong and right. You can insure with any company registered to trade in Ireland. If without an office in Ireland, as long as they are registered it’s still legal. The blueshirts could solve the problem by registering more companies. Look I know that they won’t. Ask yourself why they won’t. It’s nothing to do with law. Insurance companies simply have too much influence.
Same as with the Irish banks interest rates….Government can’t do anything. Same old rip off Ireland.
Judges and solitors that were the problem lies ,non consistent high awards based on a percentage fees especially on spurious claims
@Gerard Heery: Awards have decreased by 10% over the last 5 years.
The problem lies with the protected profiteering.
@paul kelly: incorrect, your figures are based on court settlements not on the out of court settlements done in the coffee shops around the 4 courts. Insurance companies are forced down this route as they know the judges will award higher.
My insurance went up by about 6% this year. No claims. And before anyone asks I did shop around!
We have international insurance companies down here in Australia including Allianz
but Aussie Comprehensive Car Insurance premiums are 4.7 times cheaper in Aus.
For example my car insurance in Aus is $400 AUD (E255) but E1200 in Ireland.
The Government has simply to regulate & cap compensation claims and jail the fraudsters.
In Aus personal injury cover is part of the car rego and put up to tender annually by the respective State Governments. My car rego in Aus (incl personal injury) is $600 AUD/year (E380) while in Ireland my car rego costs me E385 excluding personal injury cover.
If Ireland cant regulate the Insurers, then why not copy the Aussie system.
PSSSSST!: Competition can’t regulate the market when there is price collusion!
Some stories ahead of election showing FFG care..
Same old crap..
https://www.thejournal.ie/insurance-eu-investigation-ireland-4635198-May2019/
Perhaps if the insurance companies were found to have acted illegally the government could force them to pay compensation?
Let Margret Vestager examine the insurance companies, and then we will discover the TRUTH.
They can name their price since it is a leagal requirement to have insurance..should be a basic level included in road tax as in other countries..and are they insuring the car or the driver? If the driver than the same driver will drive different cars with the same diligence and if the car than the car will be drivin the same by different drivers
have your say