3 feared trapped after 2 cargo trains collide head-on in India

 NEW DELHI, March 1 -- At least three people are feared to be trapped after two cargo trains collided head-on Sunday in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, police said.
   The collision took place at Singrauli, about 682 km east of Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.
   "This morning two cargo trains collided head-on, resulting in their derailment," a police official said. "Three people are said to have got trapped in one of the mangled coaches."
   Rescuers rushed to the spot and cranes have been brought to put the coaches back on track.
   The trains belonged to state-run National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
   "One of the trains was carrying coal for the NTPC plant in Uttar Pradesh, while as the other was moving empty," the police official said.
   Following the accident, a huge crowd of people gathered at the spot.
   Reports said the trains collided after they were allowed to run on the same track.
   Authorities have ordered an inquiry into the collision.
   India's sprawling railways ferry around 23 million people each day. The government is trying hard to modernize the railways in the country. Indian railways is planning to invest 700 billion U.S. dollars in the next 12 years to strengthen its operations.  Enditem