35 killed, over 200 injured as Delhi-bound train derails

At least 35 people were killed and over 200 injured when 15 bogies of a speeding Delhi-bound Kalka Mail derailed here today in the worst train accident this year.

The derailment took place at 12.20 pm when the packed train from Howrah reached near Malwa station, nearly 120 km from Lucknow.

“Fifteen bogies of the train derailed, out of which 10 are in bad shape. The exact cause of the derailment is being ascertained. The Commissioner of Railway Safety has been directed to probe the incident,” the general manager of North Central Railway, Mr H.C. Joshi, said.

He said the train was speeding at about 108 kmph when the accident occurred. “It was running at 108 kmph, which is the full speed,” Mr Joshi said.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Fatehpur, Dr K.N. Joshi, said 35 passengers had died. “About 200 injured are undergoing treatment here.”

“Rescue workers have not been able to enter two of the bogies,” the Superintendent of Police, Fatehpur, Mr Ram Bharose said, adding the dead included women and children.

While some of the bogies had toppled, others were turned into a mangled heap of metal. The crowded general compartment behind the engine was the worst hit. Gas cutters and other equipment were used to cut through the metal in the AC and other coaches to rescue the trapped passengers.

“A number of passengers are still inside the bogies and attempts are on to take them out,” officials said several hours after the accident.

Locals, railway and district authorities immediately launched the rescue operation. The army has also sent about 120 personnel from adjoining Allahabad and Kanpur to assist them. A team of National Disaster Relief Force was also deployed.

Two relief trains – one each from Allahabad and Kanpur – have reached the spot. Another relief train was also sent from Delhi, the Minister of State for Railways, Mr Mukul Roy, said, adding that helplines have been opened at both the Howrah and Delhi stations.

Mr Roy said families of the dead would be given an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh, while the seriously injured would get Rs 1 lakh and those with minor injuries would be given Rs 25,000.

Meanwhile, anxious relatives and friends of the passengers, many of them in tears, gathered at Howrah, Kanpur and other stations to enquire about the fate of their loved ones. However, they faced a difficult time as information was trickling in at a slow pace.

The Eastern Railway said it will run a special train from Howrah to take relatives of passengers to Malwa.

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