Amritsar, October 19: At least 60 people were left dead after a DMU train numbered 74943 mowed them down at Joda Phatak in Amritsar. The visuals of the gruesome incident have been captured on mobile phone by some of the eye-witnesses. The incident has sparked alarm bells across the power corridors of Chandigarh and Delhi, with both the central and state government rushing in for assistance.

The accident occurred at around 7pm, when scores of locals had gathered to watch the burning of the Ravana effigy -- part of the Dussehra celebrations. As the crowd had swelled, dozens of people were standing at the railway tracks to catch a glimpse of the celebrations. Amritsar Train Accident: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi Condole Demise; CM Amarinder Singh Announces Rs 5 Lakh Compensation.

Unfortunately, a train came hurtling down the tracks leaving few seconds before the people to escape. At least 60 have been confirmed dead, with the police claiming that the death toll is further expected to rise.

Watch Video of the Amritsar Train Accident:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the train accident and assured the victims of all possible assistance from the government. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, who has left for Amritsar, has announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh.

The eye-witnesses have slammed Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was the chief guest at the Dussehra event where the accident happened. One of the eye-witnesses, while speaking to ANI, said she left the spot despite watching the train ramming into scores of people.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2018 10:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).