New Delhi: At least 35 people were killed and over 200 injured on Sunday when over dozen coaches of two superfast Express trains got derailed in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, raising concerns once again about the patchy safety record of Indian Railways.
Thirty-five have been confirmed dead and over 140 injured as the Howrah-Delhi-Kalka Express got derailed near Fatehpur Malwa in Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place around 12:30 pm. Approximately 1200 people were travelling on board Kalka Mail.
The train was travelling from Howrah to New Delhi and was moving at the speed of 108 Km/Hr when the driver used emergency brakes to slow it down, which led to the derailment, sources claimed.
The accident occurred when the driver of the train applied emergency brakes, said AK Jain, additional director general of the railway police.
Jain said he feared the death toll would go up, as injured passengers were being admitted in nearby hospitals.
Meanwhile, some coaches of the Guwahati-Puri Express got derailed at Nalbari district in western Assam Sunday, officials said, adding that casualties were feared. Nearly 50 people were injured in the incident.
The accident occurred near Ghograpara at around 8:30 pm as the train was on its way to Puri. Police and railway teams were rushing to the spot.
An IED blast on the railway track caused the derailment of the train.
In Uttar Pradesh, local sources confirmed that gas cutters arrived at the accident spot and that the mangled bogies were being cut open to take out the injured.
Seven bogies were badly mangled while three more bogies have capsized. The badly damaged bogies are - three AC 3 tier cars, one pantry car, five sleeper cars and two general cars.
The train driver is said to be among the injured. Reports also claim that the count of injured will rise as some bogies have not yet been cut open for the rescue efforts.
The Ministry of Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those dead, Rs 1 lakh for those critically injured and Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled the death of the victims.
The train was passing through Malwa station when its engine and 12 bogies got derailed, sources said. The injured have been taken to the Fatehpur District Hospital.
Sources say that three rescue trains including one from Allahabad and Kanpur have rushed to the spot. One relief train reached the spot. The National Disaster Relief Force said it was sending three teams from Delhi, even as the Army was being called in for medical support.
Mukul Goel, IG National Disaster Relief Force, said, "Three teams of total 100 people are going to the accident spot. These teams are specialised in collapse structure rescue. We are waiting for the Indian Air Force plane."
The Commissioner of Railways Safety PK Vajpayee will conduct an enquiry into the derailment of the train.
The busy Delhi-Howrah route has been hit and many trains on the route have been cancelled or diverted. Twelve trains were cancelled and 23 trains were diverted.
On July 7, at least 31 people were killed when a train rammed into a bus driving over a level crossing which did not have a gate or an attendant, typical of several such crossings in India.
Latest government data showed that 336 people were killed and 437 injured between April 2010 and mid-January 2011.
Railway authorities have given out a railways helpline number for the Kalka Express derailment - 033 - 26413660.
The other helpline numbers for the Kalka Express derailment are:
New Delhi: 011-23342954 , 23341074
Delhi: 011-23962389, 23967332
Allahabad: 0532-2407353, 2408128
Fatehpur: 05180-222025, 222026, 222436
Kanpur: 0512-2323015, 2323016, 2323018
Khurja: 05738-253084, 253085
The helpline numbers for the Puri-Guwahati derailment are:
Rangia: 03621-240238, 03621-2731621, 2731622, 2731623
(With additional information from agencies)
####Map: Kalka Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh
width="100%" alt="Map showing location of Kalka Express accident"
title="Map showing location of Kalka Express accident">
Map: Puri-Guwahati Express derailed in Assam
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