At least 50 dead as train runs over Dussehra revellers in India

At least 50 people were killed Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak.

At least 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

#WATCH The moment when the DMU train 74943 stuck people watching Dussehra celebrations in Choura Bazar near #Amritsar (Source:Mobile footage-Unverified) pic.twitter.com/cmX0Tq2pFE

— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said 50 bodies have been found and at least 50 injured have been admitted to a government hospital.

#Punjab: At gate no. 27 b/w Amritsar & Manawala. As Dussehra celebration was taking place some incident had occurred& people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while a DMU train number 74943 was passing the closed gate: CPRO Northern Railway; Visuals from accident site pic.twitter.com/TMJILYC6Or

— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said.

However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, they said.

#Punjab: Eyewitness say, "The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault, they should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching, they should have made sure that the train halts or slows down." #Amritsar pic.twitter.com/xdwXpr0L1H

— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Several people were mowed down by one of the trains, they said.