40 of those killed in Amritsar train accident identified: Officials

Forty of the 59 people killed in the train accident near here have been identified so far and the bodies of 36 of were cremated, officials said Saturday.

The bodies of four other persons, who belonged to Uttar Pradesh, have been sent to their home towns by the district administration, an official said.

The 36 bodies were cremated in batches at a ground near Shitla Mata Temple here in the presence of officials of the state government and family members of the deceased.


According to officials, the post-mortem examination on 29 bodies has been done.

At least 59 people were killed and 72 injured 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 injured have been admitted to seven hospitals, the officials said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar when the accident occurred at Joda Phatak near Amritsar, where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground adjacent to the tracks.