At least 9 dead, dozens injured as trains collide in India’s Darjeeling district, a tourist hotspot

NEW DELHI (AP) — A cargo train has rammed into a passenger train in India’s eastern state of West Bengal, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens of others. Monday’s accident took place in the Darjeeling district, a tourist spot nestled in the Himalayan foothills. A spokesperson for the Northeast Frontier Railway says three of the nine dead were railway personnel. At least 50 people were hospitalized. The spokesperson said the driver of the cargo train, who was among the dead, disregarded a signal and caused the collision. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents happen in India annually, most blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.