At least seven persons were killed and 14 others injured after a passenger train collided with a goods train from behind near Bilaspur station in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, officials said.The incident took place around 4 pm when the MEMU (mainline electric multiple unit) passenger train was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra (in neighbouring Korba district), they said.
The impact of the collision was so severe that a coach of the passenger train ended up on top of a wagon of the cargo train, the railway officials said, adding that two persons are still trapped in the wreckage.
When the passenger train was between Gatora and Bilaspur railway stations on the Howrah-Mumbai rail route section, it rammed into a goods train from behind, according to them.
The spot is a few kilometres away from Bilaspur city, which houses the headquarters of South Eastern Central Railway (SECR) zone.
“So far, seven deaths have been confirmed in the accident. Two others are still trapped inside the wreckage and efforts are on to evacuate them,” Bilaspur Collector Sanjay Agrawal said.