Driver 'dozes off' on India train

A passenger train in the Indian state of Bihar zoomed past two railway stations - apparently after the driver fell asleep at the controls. Those on board say the driver stopped only after some of the panic-stricken passengers managed to wake him up.

Following protests by angry passengers, he then reversed the train to return to the stations he had missed.

The incident is alleged to have occurred after the Jogbani-Katihar express left Forbesganj railway station in Bihar on Monday. It zoomed past its first scheduled halt at Dholbazza, railway officials said.



Passengers then panicked when the train also missed its next stop of Pothia railway station in Kishanganj. When some of the passengers managed to reach the engine, they apparently found the driver snoring away.

"We sounded the alarm and began to shout - only then did the driver wake up," passenger Vivek Thakur said. The driver then reversed to stations he had missed.
The driver and the guard of the train have been suspended and an inquiry has been ordered, a railway official said.