Nagpur level crossing disaster
The Nagpur level crossing disaster was an accident that occurred on 3 February 2005, when a crowded trailer being towed by a tractor was hit by a train near the village of Kanan, 20km from Nagpur in Maharashtra, India. 55 people died.
Overview
The accident happened on an isolated, unmanned level crossing, when a wedding party of 70 people was being transported to the ceremony on a trailer being towed by a tractor. The crossing had no attendant or barriers. A locomotive struck the trailer and stopped just after the crossing, the crumpled trailer still underneath it, and passengers provided what assistance they could until emergency services arrived. 55 people died in the crash or in the days following, and the surviving members of the party were all critically injured. The dead included at least 30 women and 10 children. No train passengers suffered more than minor injuries or shock.
Aftermath
The tragedy was one of a string of high casualty accidents on India's overcrowded and under-maintained railway system, and brought calls for Transport Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav to resign. The director of the South East Central Railway commented, "We had not installed a gate at the rail crossing because very few trains pass this way. But after this tragedy we will consider posting a guard."
Similar accidents in India
See also
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