13 dead in India train crash

Thirteen people were killed and around 40 injured Sunday evening after two trains collided in southeast India, NDTV reports.

The crash caused a derailment between the towns of Alamanda and Kantakapalle in Andhra Pradesh state, the Press Trust of India reported.

The accident occurred after one of the passenger trains overshot a signal, according to officials cited by PTI.

The death count increased to 13 from nine last night, Vizianagaram Collector Nagalakshmi confirmed to NDTV, hoping to complete the rescue efforts by this morning. At least 40 were injured and are being treated at various hospitals, Superintendent of Police M Deepika said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he had spoken with the country's railway ministry and that he "extends condolences to the bereaved families and prays that the injured recover soon."

India has one of the world's largest rail networks and has seen several disasters over the years, the worst in 1981 when a train derailed while crossing a bridge in Bihar state and plunged into a river below, killing an estimated 800 people.

In June, a triple-train collision killed nearly 300 people in Odisha state.

In August at least nine people were killed when a coach parked in southern India caught fire as a passenger tried to make tea.

/KN/