At Least 83 Die in India Train Crash

A passenger train vaulted off its tracks and into the path of an express train in northwest India today, causing a crash that killed at least 83 people and injured 230 others, police said.

The Frontier Mail from New Delhi derailed near Khanna in northwestern Punjab state while on its way to Amritsar, about 250 miles northwest of New Delhi, causing seven cars to tumble onto the railroad tracks.

The Sealdah Express traveling to Calcutta on another track a few minutes later hit the derailed cars about 140 miles southeast of Amritsar, said Amrit Lal, a police officer in Khanna.

The engine and at least four cars of the express train were destroyed on impact, Lal said.

Rescue workers cut the cars with torches and removed 83 bodies.

Lal said more bodies were still in the cars, and authorities have called for more heavy equipment.

Workers took 230 people to government hospitals and private doctors. Doctors said the condition of 36 people was serious, according to S.K. Mirza, a police official.

A passenger ran a few miles along the tracks to alert a railroad watchman, who called authorities and stopped all other trains in the area.

Traffic along the northern routes in Punjab were suspended to allow workers to rescue the passengers and remove the train cars.