Two Britons die as Indian train veers off tracks

TWO British women were killed and several other people injured yesterday when a tourist train derailed on one of the most picturesque railway routes in India.

The dead were among 37 British tourists travelling on a narrow gauge ‘toy train’ through the mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.

They were named in India as Loraine Tonner, 56, from Sheffield, and Joanne Nicholls, 70. Their families have been informed.

The women died when the four-carriage train came off its rails on a bend. At least 15 others were injured and were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Historian Raja Bhasin was on the train and had just delivered a talk about the train line when the accident happened. ‘I was lucky I sat down, otherwise I have might have been dead. I remember seeing a lot of people with blood coming out and injuries,’ he said.

The Britons were travelling to the historic Himalayan town of Shimla, which was a holiday resort for members of the British Raj during the summer. The accident happened an hour into the train’s five-hour journey from the hill town of Kalka through about 100 tunnels and over a dozen viaducts to Shimla, which is only 58 miles away.

The passengers were on a 12-day-long luxury trip called India’s Golden Triangle organised by York-based firm, Great Rail Journeys.