Indian train jumps tracks, 12 killed, 100 hurt

BHOPAL, India, Monday (Reuters) A crowded train jumped the tracks in central India on Monday, killing at least 12 passengers and injuring 100, police said.

Six coaches of the Bundelkhand Express derailed near Datia town in Madhya Pradesh, about 400 km (250 miles) north of the state capital, Bhopal, a police officer said.

He said the train derailed near the Datia station and rescue teams, including soldiers, had reached the site and were removing passengers from the cars.

"We suspect the brakes of the train failed," the officer said. He said the train sped through the station where it was due to stop and jumped the tracks in the area ahead where coaches are serviced and cleaned.

The train was going from the Hindu holy town of Varanasi in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to Gwalior city in Madhya Pradesh.

India has one of the world's biggest railway networks, running almost 12,000 trains daily carrying more than 13 million people. There are about 300 accidents each year.

In April, a passenger train slammed into a stationary goods train in western India, killing 17 people and injuring dozens.

Experts say the rail system, saddled with huge losses because of rock-bottom fares and a massive workforce, has little money to invest in improving safety and infrastructure.