Eight train coaches derail in Uttar Pradesh, 52 hurt

Lucknow/New Delhi: Eight coaches of the Nizamuddin-bound Mahakaushal Express derailed near Kulpahad railway station in Mahoba district in the early hours of Thursday, leaving 52 persons injured.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu has announced ex-gratia payment of Rs 50,000 in case of grievous injury and Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries.

The railways has also ordered an inquiry into the reasons behind the derailment. The inquiry will be conducted by a senior railway official and its report is expected to be submitted in 10 days, railway board member (traffic) Mohd Jamshed said.

Asked whether it was an act of sabotage or any defect in the rolling stock led to the mishap, he said: “Nothing can be ruled out till the report is submitted.”

Nine of the injured passengers have been admitted to the Mahoba district hospital while the remaining have been discharged after being given first aid at the Kulpahad primary health centre.

UP health department sources said that total of about 200 passengers had received injuries that were minor in nature. Passengers with minor injuries have already left for their onward journey by buses.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath sent UP health minister Siddhartha Nath Singh to the accident site and announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured and Rs 25, 000 for those with minor injuries.

The minister said that the priority was to evacuate the passengers and provide them medical attention. Thirty doctors and 21 ambulances have been rushed to the accident site, the minister said.

Of the eight coaches that were derailed, two were general coaches, one sleeper and the remaining were AC coaches.

According to reports, the accident took place at 2.07am and the local people heard a big sound before the coaches started derailing.

Mahoba district magistrate Ajay Kumar Singh, superintendent of police Gaurav Singh and a railway technical team led by the North Central Railway general manager M.C. Chauhan reached the spot to investigate the matter and supervise rescue operations. The derailment suspended train traffic on the route and 18 trains were diverted while half a dozen passenger trains were cancelled on Thursday.

Railway engineers have already started clearing and repairing the tracks and traffic on the route is likely to normalise late Thursday night. A 47-member NDRF team also reached the site of the accident to help in rescue operations.

ADG (Law and Order)  Daljit Chaudhurysaid in Lucknow that a team of Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) had reached the site to rule out the possibility of a terrorist angle. He said that prima facie there was no evidence whatsoever to suggest that this was the handiwork of terrorists.