The trains were crossing a small bridge near the Machak River, about 950 kilometres (590 miles) south of New Delhi. While most people had been pulled to safety, rescue workers were still searching for passengers likely trapped. Dozens of trains have been blocked from moving due to the accident, while others have been diverted to other routes.
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“There are 12 casualties”, West Central Railway spokesman Piyush Mathur told a television channel, adding that the death toll could rise.
Eleven women, 11 men and five children are reportedly among the dead, and an investigation is underway into the incident, which authorities say was caused by heavy rains in the region.
At least 24 bodies have been recovered so far and one person was seriously injured, said Bijendra Kumar, a railway official in Bhopal, the main city in Madhya Pradesh state. Local TV reports cited by the Times stated that both trains had been overfilled with passengers.
The shaken survivors said they were jolted out of their sleep when their coach fell into the river with a thunder.
Meanwhile, Railway Board member (traffic) Kundan Sinha said the tracks have been breached because of the flow of excessive water and the particular section has been closed for any train movement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “The two train accidents in Madhya Pradesh are deeply distressing”.
Update as of 10:56 p.m. EST: Several train cars were reportedly submerged in a river following the two train derailments Tuesday night in India, Al Jazeera reported. “Most of the coaches had passed but the last few carriages were derailed”, Saksena said.
“Seven bogies of Kamayani Express and engine plus three coaches of Janata Express were derailed between Khirkiya and Bhirangi stations near Harda”, Mathur said. The Times of India put the number of fatalities as high as 28.
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“Many of us had to swim out of the coach”, said the visibly rattled passenger. It described the thousands of deaths as a “massacre”. In 2012, a report said that 15,000 people are killed every year on Indian railways.
