HYDERABAD, India (AP) A train struck and killed eight people in southern India on Saturday, an official said.
The victims were crossing the tracks on foot when they were hit by the train, said M. Kiran Kumar, the top elected official of Andhra Pradesh state.
The victims had gotten off another train that they had stopped by pulling the emergency chain, fearing a fire in their coach. As their train came to a halt, they jumped onto the adjacent track and were struck by a train coming from the opposite direction, Kumar said.
The accident happened in Vijainagaram district, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Hyderabad, the state capital.
Railway accidents are common in India, which has one of the world's largest networks and serves more than 18.5 million passengers a day. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.
