Seven killed, 60 injured as train derails in Rae Bareli

Lucknow: Seven passengers were killed and 60 others injured as six coaches, including the engine, of the New Farakka Express derailed in Rae Bareli district on Wednesday morning.

The condition of nine injured persons is stated to be critical.

ADG (law and order) Anand Kumar confirmed seven deaths but divisional railway manager Satish Kumar maintained that fiev persons had died in the derailment.

The accident took place at 6.05.a.m, about 50 metres from Harchandpur railway station in Rae Bareli. Several passengers were trapped inside the coaches after the derailment and were evacuated with the help of the local people. The train was on its way to Delhi from Malda.

The impact of the derailment was more due to the fact that the train was moving at high speed.

Assistant station master  Ashish Kumar at Harchandpur has been found prima facie guilty of giving a wrong signal to the derailed train and has been placed under suspension.

Rescue teams rushed to the site of the accident and the injured persons have been admitted to nearby hospitals. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Varanasi and Lucknow were also rushed to the accident site.

The divisional railway manager of Northern Railways said that a special train had been arranged to take the passengers to their destination.

He said that it will take around 24-36 hours for the tracks to be cleared. About 13 trains have been diverted while three have been cancelled. All up and down lines on the route have been blocked and efforts are on to remove the coaches from the tracks, the railway spokesman said.

ADG (law and order) Anand Kumar said that drones were used to monitor the situation at the accident site.

A team of doctors in an Accident Relief Medical Van rushed to the site while emergency helpline numbers have been set up at the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction, Mughalsarai and Patna.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of Rs two lakhs to the kin of the deceased an Rs 50,000 to the injured.

He has also directed the district magistrate; SSP and health officials to ensure provide immediate relief and treatment to passengers.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has ordered an enquiry into the accident. He has directed authorities to effectively undertake relief and rescue operations and provide best possible medical help to the injured.