3 killed in train derailment in UP
Railway minister announces Rs 5L to kin of deceased.
Lucknow: The Vasco Da Gama-Patna Express derailed near the Manikpur railway station in Chitrakoot district on Friday morning, leaving three persons dead and nine injured.
13 coaches of the train jumped off the rails at 4.18 am on Friday when most of the passengers were asleep.
The injured have been admitted to the district hospital in Chitrakoot and the condition of two of them is said to be serious.
Passengers on the train said that they heard a loud sound before the derailment. A team from the Anti Terrorist Squad is also investigating the mishap.
North Central Railway PRO Amit Malviya said, the coaches of the Goa-Patna train that jumped off the rails were coaches numbered S3 to S11, two general coaches and one extra coach.
Mr Malviya said that that soon after the accident, a medical train reached the spot and by 5:20 am, an accident relief train was dispatched for the spot.
The divisional railway manager (DRM), Allahabad has already reached the spot while the General Manager, NCR is on his way, he said.
ADG (Allahabad zone) S N Sawat said that the deceased have been identified as Ram Swarup and his son Deepak, both residents of Betia in Bihar, and one unidentified person.
According to Additional Director General (Law and Order), Anand Kumar, a fractured railway track could have led to the derailment. The incident has disrupted the movement of trains on the Patna-Allahabad route.
Anil Saxena, railway spokesperson, said medical relief is being provided to the injured. “Patients have been admitted to Manikpur and Chitrakoot Hospital and Railway minister Piyush Goyal has been closely monitoring the situation. He had instructed the railway board chairman to rush to the spot”, he told reporters.
Railway minister Piyush Goyal has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to kin of dead in the train derailment and Rs 1 lakh for those with grievous injuries. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has also announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakhs each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured passengers.
Theese incidents have been steadily on the rise in Uttar Pradesh.