At least 7 killed as passenger train rear-ends freight train near Bilaspur, India

Passenger train collides with freight train near Bilaspur; at least seven dead

A passenger train crashed into a freight (goods) train on Tuesday near Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, central India, killing at least seven people and injuring about a dozen, local officials said. The collision took place roughly 116 kilometres (72 miles) from the state capital, Raipur.

District collector Sanjay Agarwal told reporters the passenger service struck the rear of the goods train and that one coach ended up sitting atop a wagon of the freight rake. Rescuers are searching the wreckage for survivors and have begun cutting into a coach to reach at least two passengers reported trapped inside.

“A rescue team is trying to cut through the coach to free at least two passengers who remain trapped inside. We hope they are alive but cannot confirm until we get them out,” Agarwal said.

About a dozen people were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment; one of the injured is in critical condition, Agarwal added. Indian Railways, the network operator, said it has deployed all available resources to assist rescue operations and that an inquiry into the cause of the accident has been opened.

Chhattisgarh’s top elected official, Vishnu Deo Sai, expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

Context

Train collisions remain a challenge in India, where a vast rail network contends with ageing infrastructure, outdated signalling systems and human error. India’s railways carry more than 12 million passengers on roughly 14,000 trains each day across about 64,000 kilometres (40,000 miles) of track. Despite efforts to improve safety, several hundred accidents — some fatal — still occur annually.

In 2023, a separate derailment in eastern India killed more than 280 people in one of the country’s deadliest rail disasters, underscoring persistent safety concerns.