Indian Official: Train Sped Up Before Deadly Crash

An investigation into a train crash that killed 10 people in southern India has so far found that one of the trains sped up at a signal where it should have stopped, the railways minister said Wednesday.

An additional 52 were injured late Tuesday when the passenger train failed to slow at the signal and slammed into a stationary cargo train about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, officials said.

Rescuers worked overnight to pull the injured from the wreckage, where the impact had derailed five train cars and forced authorities to cancel or delay other train services Wednesday.

Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi said it was too early in the investigation to assign blame, but that preliminary findings indicated the passenger train increased speed where it should have stopped at the signal.

The driver had been sober and well-rested before the accident, which he survived, Trivedi said.

The investigation is continuing, the minister said.

India’s railroad network is one of the largest in the world and carries about 14 million passengers each day. Accidents are common, with most blamed on poor maintenance and human error.