14 dead as trains collide in India

LUCKNOW, Oct 1 (AP): A train overshot a stop signal and plowed into another express passenger train in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state, killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others, officials said Wednesday.
Three coaches of the Barauni Express derailed and toppled over after the Krishak Express crashed into it near Gorakhpur city station late Tuesday, said Madhuresh Kumar, an Indian railways general manager.
 The bodies of 12 passengers were pulled out of the Barauni's mangled coaches, he said, adding that 44 people from that train were hospitalized with injuries. The driver of the Krishak Express also was injured, but it was unclear whether anyone else aboard his train had been hurt.
Railway services across northern India were disrupted, and several trains were diverted to alternate routes, officials said.
 The driver of the Krishak Express and his assistant were suspended after it was determined that their train had overshot a stop signal before the crash, said Alok Kumar, a railway spokesman.
 Experts will investigate whether the train overshot the signal due to mechanical failure or human error, the spokesman said.
 Accidents are common on India's railroad network, one of the world's largest, with 23 million people riding daily on about 11,000 passenger trains. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.