50 injured in rail mishap in northeastern India

More than 50 passengers have been injured in a train mishap in the northeastern Indian state of Assam in the early hours of Wednesday, a senior railway official said. "The mishap happened when some 10 coaches of an express train derailed at Ajuri station near the state's Morigaon district at around 2 a.m. local time. The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital where the condition of 20 are said to be serious," he said on condition of anonymity. Rescue operations are on in the area as senior officials have rushed there, the official said. The Indian Railways has ordered a probe into the derailment of BG Express, he said, adding that the incident has hampered train traffic in the region. The state-owned Indian Railways ferries hundreds of thousands of passengers everyday, criss-crossing the country from north to south. But its safety record is questionable.