5 dead after Delhibound train derails in Rae Bareli
ACCIDENT Nine coaches and the engine of New Farakka Express go off the tracks
LUCKNOW: Nine coaches and the engine of the New Delhi-bound New Farakka Express derailed near the Harchandpur area of Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district early on Wednesday, killing five passengers and seriously injuring 19, officials said.
Railways minister Piyush Goya, who announced compensation of ₹5 lakh for the kin of the dead, ₹1 lakh for the injured and ₹50,000 for those with minor injuries, announced a highlevel enquiry into the accident. Northern Railways (NR) officials said initial reports suggested that the derailment may have been caused by a technical snag.
“Those who suffered injuries have been referred to King George Medical University, Lucknow and 10 with minor injuries are being treated at Rae Bareli Civil Hospital and three passengers were discharged after being given primary medi- cal treatment,” said Deepak Kumar, spokesman for Northern Railways. Kanhaiya Kumar, a local from Hachandpur village, who was among the first to reach the spot and to start rescue efforts, said the accident occurred at around 6:05 am when the coaches skidded into surrounding fields.
A passenger Krishna Pratap, who survived the accident, said, “I thought we have been hit by an earthquake. Nothing was visible. After some time we realised that our train had derailed. I am part of a group of 21 labourers going to Punjab for work. One of our associates Ajay Kumar is still missing.”
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s office, in a Twitter post, assured the injured of all possible help and announced ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh to the kins of the dead and ₹50,000 to the injured.
The derailment hit rail traffic on the Rae Bareli-lucknow section. Around half-a-dozen trains were cancelled and another half a dozen were terminated or diverted. Northern Railways officials said it will take upto 16 hours to clear the tracks, remove the derailed engine and coaches and repair the damaged tracks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Rae Bareli MP Sonia Gandhi also condoled the deaths . “Anguished by the loss of lives due to a rail accident in Rae Bareli. Condolences to the bereaved families and I pray that the injured recover quickly. UP Government, Railways and NDRF are ensuring all possible assistance at the site of accident,” the PM tweeted.
Rahul Gandhi’s post on Facebook read: “I hope government will put in all efforts to ensure relief and health facilities to all those affected in the incident.”