Deadly blaze aboard Indian train
 |
There are fears the death toll may rise as other bodies may be trapped in the damaged cars.
Story Tools
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- At least 36 people have died in a fire aboard a passenger train in northern India, police say.
The fire broke out early Thursday in one of the three rear cars of the Golden Temple Express, heading from Mumbai to the north Indian city of Amritsar.
At least 13 people were injured in the blaze aboard the moving train, some of them seriously, rail authorities said.
They are being treated in hospital in the city of Ludhiana in Punjab state.
However, there are fears the death toll may rise as other bodies may be trapped in the damaged cars.
Authorities say families of those killed in the fire will be entitled to $8,000 compensation each.
The train was about two hours short of its destination when the fire broke out. The cause of the blaze is thought to have been a short circuit.
India's state-owned rail system is the largest in the world, carrying more than 11 million passengers on more than 100,000 kilometers of track.
Although the network records about 300 accidents each year, with more than 11,000 services running daily observers say the safety record is relatively good.