India train strikes crowd

This item appears on page 18 of the December 2018 issue.

At least 58 people were killed and more than 200 were injured when a train struck a crowd in Amritsar, Punjab, India, on Oct. 19. The crowd had gathered on the raised tracks in order to watch, from a higher vantage point, a firecracker-filled effigy burn during the Hindu festival of Dussehra. According to witnesses, the train whistle could not be heard over the festivities.

At press time, investigations into the incident were ongoing. Police said that they had given permission to hold the event as long as the organizers notified the railways, which it appears was not done.