23 dead, 40 hurt as train from Odisha derails in UP

MUZZAFARNAGAR/MEERUT/LUCKNOW: At least 23 people were killed and 40 injured when 14 coaches of Haridwar-bound Kalinga Utkal Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district on Saturday, sending coaches ramming into each other, including into a house close to the tracks.

The DGP office in Lucknow confirmed the casualties after the Puri-Haridwar train derailed near Khatauli station around 5.45 pm. The train had started from Puri in Odisha and was going to Haridwar in Uttarakhand, normally a journey of about 36 hours.

UP’s principal secretary (home), Arvind Kumar said the derailment was caused by sudden application of brakes by the train driver.“There was some work on the tracks but no flagging was done,” he told HT. Railway sources, however, said that the driver did not apply the brakes. “He felt a jerk and realised that the derailment had happened. He couldn’t apply the brakes. According to him, either the soil beneath the track was loose due to rains or the railways didn’t do periodic ultrasonic fault detection of tracks,” the source said.

Apparently, the engine and five bogies of the train, travelling at 106 kph, had crossed the spot smoothly when the accident happened. ADG (law and order) Anand Kumar rushed a team of anti-terrorist squad under DySP Anoop Singh to the site to investigate if it was a case of sabotage or not. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu ordered an inquiry and said he has instructed railway board chairman and officials to oversee rescue and relief operations. “I am personally monitoring the situation,” he tweeted.

He also announced an ex gratia of ₹3.5 lakh for the kin of the deceased and ₹ 50,000 for passengers with serious injuries.

Railways have issued helpline numbers: 9760534045/5101 94106 09434, 0121-2604977, 94544 55183, 9410609434, 0121-2604977.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the deaths.

“Extremely pained by the derailment of the Utkal Express in Muzaffarnagar. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased,” he said in a tweet and wished the injured a speedy recovery.