NEW DEHLI, India : An express train Friday plowed into a crowd that spilled over onto railroad tracks as it watched a fireworks display during a religious festival, killing 31 people and injuring 100, the Railway Ministry said.
The accident occurred near a Hindu temple at Tellicherry in southernmost Kerala State, about 1,100 miles south of New Delhi.
‘A government inquiry was ordered, and Minister of State for Railways Madhavrao Scindia rushed to the scene,
‘A spokesman for the Railway Ministry in New Delhi said 31 people had died and 100 were injured. All of the 100 injured had been hospitalized, he said.
‘The crowd had gathered on the tracks to watch a firework show marking the conclusion of a festival at the Hindu temple of Jagannathan, or God Vishnu the preserver.
‘The passenger train rammed into the revelers at about 5:30 a.m, (7 p.m, Thursday, EST), the spokesman said.
February and March are the season of religious festivals throughout Kerala, a narrow, fertile coastal strip of 23 million people along the Arabian Sea.
‘The festivals are usually capped by fireworks displays, which begin late at night and last into the early morning.
“I am aghast at the tragedy in Kerala,” Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said, “My deep sympathies to the bereaved families”.
The State Government announced that $250 would be given to the families of the dead and $83.00 to the relatives of the injured,
Article extracted from this publication >> March 7, 1986
