SAINTHIA, India, July 19 (UPI) -- The death toll in a Monday train crash in Sainthia, India, rose to 60 and investigators said human error was the likely reason one train struck another.
The railways chief said sabotage was a possibility.
At least 86 people were hospitalized after the crash.
Investigators said the driver of the Uttarbanga Express did not decelerate as he approached the station in the West Bengal city, his train smashing into the Vananchal Express as it was departing, NDTV reported Monday.
The collision was so violent the roof and sides of one of the Vananchal Express's compartments smashed onto an overhead pedestrian bridge, witnesses said. A part of another compartment of the Vananchal Express broke and fell on a road along the tracks after being thrown from the bridge.
Indian Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee said the accident raises suspicion, hinting of possible sabotage, NDTV said. Two months ago in West Bengal, the Gyaneshwaari Express derailed, killing 148 people. At the time, Banerjee rejected claims of sabotage by insurgents in the area, blaming the accident on "a political conspiracy."
The private television company said Banerjee has been under fire from several politicians, including former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who said the Gyaneshwaari Express tragedy demonstrated her successor's "carelessness."
