Indian train death toll hits 51

The death toll from a train that derailed when it hit a boulder in western India climbed to 51 today, officials said.

Four carriages of the passenger train derailed on Sunday night when it crashed into the boulder, which was dislodged in a landslide caused by heavy monsoon rains near Vaibhyavadi village, 310 miles south of Bombay.

Rescue workers were unlikely to find any more bodies, said Vaishali Patenge, a spokeswoman for state-run Konkan Railways.

“They are now clearing mostly debris of mangled coaches,” she said.

Rescuers used hand-propelled rail carts to reach the site of the crash, which is not accessible by road.

At least 25 passengers were hurt in the accident, the first since the 460-mile line was built to link Bombay with Goa and Mangalore.