More than 50 people have been killed and 200 hurt after a train ran into a crowd near Amritsar in India's northern Punjab state.
The victims were standing on the railway tracks watching celebrations for the Hindu festival of Dusshera.
They did not hear the train approach as they watched a firecracker‑filled effigy of the demon king Ravana burn.
Officials said the priority now was to take the injured to local hospitals.
Footage posted to social media showed the fast‑travelling train hitting the crowd.
Just moments before, crowds watching the firecrackers show were asked by organisers to move back ‑ towards the railway tracks.
The train that hit the crowds was travelling from Jalandhar to Amritsar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as "heart‑wrenching".
Questions are being raised how the celebration was allowed just a few metres from the railway tracks.
Effigy‑burning is only allowed when different departments, including fire safety officials, grant permission.
The state chief minister has ordered an inquiry to ascertain whether permission was granted ‑ and by whom.
[Source: BBC News]
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