The Kasganj level crossing disaster was the crash of a passenger bus with an express train near the town of
Kasganj in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
on 4 June 2002.
Overview
At around 1:00 p.m. in the village of
Chandi
Chandi ( sa, चण्डी, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is another form of Mahadevi, similar to Durga. Chandika is a powerful form of Mahadevi who manifested to destroy evil. She is also known as '' Kaushiki'', '' Katyayani ...
a local bus, carrying around 60 people came to a level crossing near Kasganj. The driver drove through the manned crossing barriers, which were open to road traffic, in front of an oncoming express train. The train driver, operating the
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation ( help· info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military station ...
to Kasganj route, had no time to stop, and hit the bus at , slicing the vehicle in two.
The front half of the bus was thrown into a nearby canal, where it rapidly sank, drowning all those inside not killed in the initial crash. The rear of the bus was dragged along the track by the train, which came to a halt after .
Forty-nine people, all on the bus, died as a result of the crash and another 29 were injured, seven of them seriously.
Aftermath
The statutory investigation report
cited the fact that the manned crossing barriers were open to road traffic and not interlocked to protecting rail signals; it also identified that the train was dispatched in violation of standing instructions.
See also
*
Uttar Pradesh train accidents
Railway accidents may be classified by their effects, e.g.: head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, side collisions, derailments, fires, explosions, etc. They may alternatively be classified by cause, e.g.: driver and signalman error; mech ...
*
List of road accidents
The following is a list of articles that contain a lists of traffic collisions, or list of people who died in traffic collisions.
Lists of traffic collisions
*List of traffic collisions (before 2000)
*List of traffic collisions (2000–present)
* ...
References
{{2002 railway accidents
Bus incidents in India
Level crossing incidents in India
2002 road incidents
Railway accidents in 2002
Kasganj
Railway accidents and incidents in Uttar Pradesh
History of Uttar Pradesh (1947–present)
June 2002 events in India
2002 disasters in India