Firozabad rail collision
1995 train crash in Uttar Pradesh, India
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The Firozabad rail collision occurred on 20 August 1995 near Firozabad on the Delhi–Kanpur section of India's Northern Railway, at 02:55[1] when a passenger train collided with a train that had stopped after hitting a nilgai, killing 358 people.[2] Some estimate the death toll at more than 400.[3] The crash happened in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Both trains were bound for the Indian capital, New Delhi.
| Firozabad rail collision | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 20 August 1995 2:55 AM |
| Location | Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| Country | India |
| Line | Delhi–Kanpur |
| Operator | Indian Railways |
| Service | Kalindi Express, Purushottam Express |
| Incident type | Rear-end collision |
| Cause | Obstruction on line (nilgai) |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 (Kalindi Express and Purushottam Express) |
| Vehicles | WDM-2 locomotives |
| Passengers | 2,200 |
| Deaths |
|
The first train, the Kalindi Express from Kanpur, struck a nilgai and could not proceed due to damaged brakes. It was then struck from behind at a speed of 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph)[4] by the Purushottam Express from Puri.[1] Three carriages of the Kalindi Express were destroyed, and the engine and front two carriages of the Puri train were derailed. Most of the 2,200 passengers aboard the two trains were asleep at the time of the collision.[5]
The accident remains the second-deadliest rail accident in Indian history, only surpassed by the Bihar train derailment in 1981.