Search stopped for survivors in Indian train derailment; 142 dead

KANPUR , India, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Police in India on Monday said they called off the search for more survivors of a train derailment near Kanpur after 142 fatalities were recorded.

Hundreds participated in the rescue operation after the Indore-Patna Express derailed Sunday, the deadliest crash in 14 years in a country in which railroad accidents are common. Two railroad cars were severely damaged, and others hung precariously off the tracks as rescue operations were underway. After the last of 14 railroad cars were removed from the tracks by cranes late Monday, no more bodies were found and the rescue operation ended.

India's Railway Ministry identified about 180 of the 200 injured passengers. At least 58 were hospitalized in critical condition, the BBC reported Monday.

The ministry said about 1,200 people were aboard the train, which, as the only train connecting Indore and Patna in northern Uttar Pradesh state, is generally filled to capacity. Some sources said the number of passengers aboard the train Sunday was considerably higher. Many more passengers were on the train without a ticket, and train station vendors said the crowd boarding the train was considerable larger than usual, the Times of India said.

The cause of the derailment is unknown, but a broken rail is suspected.