GORAKHUPUR, India, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A head-on collision of two passenger trains in Gorakhupur in northern India killed at least 12 people and injured over 40.
Officials explained one train, the Barauni Express, was switching tracks as another train, the Krishak Express, crashed into its fifth car. The Krishak train was moving at about 110 kilometers (70 mph) per hour, the legal limit; the other was moving slowly, said G.D. Pandey of the state-owned National Railways.
Victims continue to be found at the crash site.
"The casualty figure is not yet final," said Arunedra Kumar, chairman of the Railways Board.
The Krishak driver was suspended from his opposition, pending a report. Accidents are common on India's railway system, one of the largest in the world but one of aging infrastructure and poor maintenance. New Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he intends to make improvement to the railways a priority in his administration.
