At least 38 people killed in train collision in eastern India

38 people killed as trains collide in east India

CALCUTTA, India — A speeding express train collided with a passenger train at a station in eastern India early Monday, mangling the carriages and killing at least 38 people, railway police said.

The crash happened at about 2 a.m. when the Uttarbanga Express slammed into the stationary Bananchal Express as it was leaving the platform at Sainthia station, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of Calcutta.

The crash destroyed two passenger cars and a luggage car, turning them into a tangle of twisted metal. The force of the crash was so intense the roof of one car flew into the air and landed on an overpass above the tracks. Local residents climbed through the debris searching for survivors.

Dilip Mitra, a railway police official, said 38 bodies were recovered and rescue workers were searching the wreckage for others. Many other people were injured, he said.

Accidents are common on India’s sprawling rail network, one of the world’s largest, with most blamed on poor maintenance.