Worst train disasters of the past two decades

An express train derailed in northern India early Sunday, killing over 142 people. Here is a list of the five deadliest rail disasters worldwide in the past two decades:

–1995

– Aug 20: In India, 305 are killed and 344 injured in a collision between two trains at Ferozabad, near Agra in the north.

–2002

– Feb 20: In Egypt, 361 people are killed in a train fire near the town of Al Ayatt south of Cairo.

– June 24: In Tanzania, 288 die in a train accident near Dodoma.

–2004

– Feb 18: In Iran, 328 people are killed by an explosion on a train carrying sulphur, petrol and fertiliser in the northeast.

– Dec 26: In Sri Lanka, 1,300 are killed out of 1,500 passengers on a train between Colombo and Galle. It is struck by a giant tsunami which ravaged 11 countries on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

Agence France-Presse