Eight killed in India by train while crossing tracks

A train has struck and killed eight people in southern India.

The victims were crossing the tracks on foot when they were hit by the train, said M Kiran Kumar, the top elected official of Andhra Pradesh state.

The victims had got off another train that they had stopped by pulling the emergency chain, fearing a fire in their coach. As their train came to a halt, they jumped on to the adjacent track and were struck by a train coming from the opposite direction.

The accident happened in Vijainagaram district, about 500 miles north-east of Hyderabad, the state capital.

Railway accidents are common in India, which has one of the world’s largest networks and serves more than 18.5 million passengers a day. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.