Nine killed in Indian rail-jeep collision

02 Sep, 2004

At least nine people were killed Wednesday after a collision between a train and a jeep in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.
The accident took place when a Toyota jeep went over an unmanned rail crossing near Handia railway station, 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the state capital, Lucknow.
The passenger train was on its way to Muzzafarpur from New Delhi.
"Nine pilgrims travelling in the jeep were mowed down by the speeding train," said local police chief Ajay Anand.
"A child travelling in the jeep has also been seriously injured ... at this stage we are not sure how many people the vehicle was carrying," he added.
It is not clear why the jeep tried to cross the railway track even though the train was clearly visible.
There are often collisions between vehicles and trains at India's numerous unmanned railway crossings.
Many accidents on India's vast rail network are believed to be caused by the absence of adequate warning systems and outdated equipment.

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