YEREVAN, AUGUST 5, ARMENPRESS. Multiple deaths were reported and rescue efforts were continuing after two trains derailed within minutes of each other while crossing a river bridge in central India. One of the trains was on its way to Mumbai when the accident happened in Madhya Pradesh state, while the other was travelling in the opposite direction.

One of the trains was on its way to Mumbai when the accident happened in Madhya Pradesh state, while the other was travelling in the opposite direction, Armenpress reports the latter, citing the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.

Rescuers searched in darkness through Tuesday night and into Wednesday for passengers feared trapped in the carriages. As the effort continued in daylight on Wednesday morning, the railway ministry said there had been more than 20 people killed, while more than 300 were rescued and a number of them taken to hospital.Twelve coaches of the Kamayani Express to Varanasi from Mumbai derailed near Harda in the central state of Madhya Pradesh just before midnight. Six coaches of the Janata Express derailed around the same time, the railway ministry said.

Divers joined the rescue effort, using gas cutters pulled out passengers trapped in waterlogged coaches, officials said.India’s government has pledged to invest $137bn to modernise its crumbling railways, making them safer, faster and more efficient. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, has massively increased spending but improvements will take years.

A former railway minister said that if the tracks had been maintained the latest accident could have been avoided. “It’s totally unacceptable. It’s a symptom of a deep-rooted cancer in the railway system,” Dinesh Trivedi said.

The head of India’s railway board, AK Mittal, said a flash flood struck the area minutes before the trains came through, disturbing the tracks. “Ten minutes back at this spot, train movement was normal. There was no problem.”

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