At least 23 people were killed and 51 others injured when a goods train hit the stationary Indore-Gwalior Intercity Express at Bhaderwah station in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district around dawn on Monday.
Rescue efforts were on till late Monday evening, hampered by the continuous heavy rain, and officials indicated that the death toll might rise further. Initial investigations showed the accident took place as the goods train entered the wrong track, overshot a red signal and hit the stationary express amid heavy rain and poor visibility.
The impact was so strong that a large number of passengers were stuck in their bogies, and rescue teams had a hard time extricating them. Two front bogies of the express were badly damaged.
Shivpuri collector Rajkumar Pathak claimed that just before the collision at 4.45 am "the goods train driver jumped off the locomotive and fled". Sources said the Bhaderwah station master, who also fled, was later traced and his blood sample taken after reports that many liquor bottles had been found in his room.