12 coaches derailed, 7 injured in train accident in south India

NEW DELHI, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) — At least seven passengers were injured after 12 train coaches derailed following an accident involving a passenger train and a stationary goods train in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, officials said Saturday.
The accident took place Friday evening in Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu.
The passenger train was traveling at 75 km per hour when it hit the goods train, an official said, adding that one coach also caught fire.
According to railway officials, the train was supposed to go via the main line but it entered the loop line.
“Signals were all set for the main line. There was some mismatch between the signals and the route. On the loop line, the goods train was already stabled to give it precedence, so something wrong has happened and that is the matter of investigation,” senior railway official R N Singh said.
“There is no loss of life and only seven to eight passengers have suffered injuries. They have all been hospitalized.”
Singh said the train service on the route was suspended and some trains diverted. It would take the next 24 hours to restore train traffic on the route.
Local media reports put the number of injured in the accident at 19.
According to officials, 1,360 people were on board the passenger train at the time of the accident.
In June, at least 15 people were killed and 60 others injured when a goods train crashed into the rear of a stationary passenger train in West Bengal. ■