The search for survivors in a train crash in Bahanaga, India ended Saturday, with the death toll at 288.
Some 803 were injured as the crash and subsequent derailment on Friday, which is considered the worst such incident in over 20 years. Rescue workers used equipment on site Saturday to assist in retrieving bodies trapped in various train cars. A preliminary report viewed by Reuters cited signal failure as the primary cause of the crash, which involved two South Eastern Railway passenger trains and one goods train.
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SER sent a special train to transport the family members of the passengers near the site.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishna promised families of the dead will receive 1 million rupees, worth $12,000, while the seriously injured will get 200,000 rupees, with 50,000 rupees for minor injuries.
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“It’s a big, tragic accident,” Vaishna told reporters at the accident site. “Our complete focus is on the rescue and relief operation, and we are trying to ensure that those injured get the best possible treatment.”
Indian railways typically transport 13 million passengers every day.
