14 coaches derail; rail fracture suspected to be cause of mishap
Photo Credits: PTI11_20_2016_000217B
At least 116 passengers were killed and more than 200 injured, nearly half of them grievously, in the worst train accident in recent years when 14 coaches of Indore-Patna Express derailed here in Kanpur rural area in the wee hours on Sunday due to suspected rail fracture. While the exact cause of the Kanpur accident will be ascertained after the inquiry report, prima facie it indicates towards rail fracture, the sources said.
The disaster took place just a little after 0300 hrs when the passengers were jolted out of their sleep as the Patna-bound train jumped the tracks, badly damaging four ordinary sleeper coaches in which hundreds were trapped.
Of the four coaches, the S1 and S2 had telescoped into each other and most of the casualties were feared to have been in these two compartments.
S3 and S4 coaches also suffered severe damage while an AC III tier coach was also affected but casualties in it were not heavy.
As railway personnel assisted by those of army, NDRF and state police carried out the search and rescue operation, the number of casualties kept on increasing by the hour.
By evening, 116 bodies were recovered and most of them taken to Mati mortuary in Kanpur rural, according to IG (Kanpur range) Zaki Ahmad.
Six passengers, who were trapped in the mangled bogies, were also feared dead, he said.
Among the dead, 43 have been identified, of which 20 are from Uttar Pradesh, 15 from Madhya Pradesh and six from Bihar and one each from Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Post mortem of 27 identified bodies has been done and they were being handed over to the families. Ambulance facilities were also being provided to the families of the victims to transport the bodies, officials said.
An army man Prabhu Narayan Singh, Anil Kishore of BSF from Rohtas, Bihar, and UP police constable Lakhan Singh from Jhansi were among the dead.
76 passengers were seriously injured in the derailment,Ahmad said. 150 other passengers received minor injuries in the mishap.
“Over 150 injured people have been rushed to nearby hospitals in the area. All hospitals have been asked to be alert. More than 30 ambulances have been pressed into service,” he said.
With several passengers feared trapped, rescue personnel employed cold cutters to break open the compartments as gas cutters produced excessive heat and suffocation hampering their efforts.
A number of trapped passengers were rescued.
Teams of army doctors, railway officials and personnel of NDRF, state PAC and other policemen were involved in carrying out rescue and relief operation.
While UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each of the dead in the accident, Prime Minister narendra Modi sanctioned Rs 2 lakh. On his part, the Railway Minister enhanced the ex-gratia grant from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh to the families of the dead.
The UP government will give Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those with simple injuries.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who visited the injured in hospitals in Kanpur Urban, announced Rs 2 lakh for kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Prabhu visited the injured in hospital late in the evening.
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COUNTRY ANGUISHED
I am sad to learn about the accident in which many have lost their lives and a number of persons are injured
- Pranab Mukherjee, President
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Anguished beyond words on the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families
- Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
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Words can't describe the pain and anguish of those who lost their near and dear ones and the entire country stands in solidarity to share this unbearable sorrow
_ Sonia Gandhi, Congress president
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BLOODY PAIN ON TRAIN
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Following is the chronology of major train accidents in India since 1988
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May 28, 2010: At least 148 killed after Gyaneshwari Express derailed by Naxals in West Midnapore district of West Bengal
Sept 9, 2002: 100 die after a bogie of Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express plunges into Dhave river in Bihar's Aurangabad
August 2, 1999: At least 290 killed after two trains collide at Gaisal in Assam
Nov 26, 1998: 212 perish in Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express collision with derailed coaches of the Frontier Mail in Punjab
August 20, 1995: 400 dead as Puroshottam Express rams into Kalindi Express near Firozabad railway station in UP
April 18, 1988: At least 75 people killed in derailment of Karnataka Express near Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh
July 8, 1988: Watery grave for 107 as Island Express plunges into Ashtamudi lake in Kerala
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MORE ON PG 8
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Nightmare for family
* Businessman Arun Sharma's journey to Patna turned into a nightmare with his nine-year-old son missing
* Sharma, 42, along with his wife and another son, 11-year-old Gigyansh were injured in the mishap
* Sharma was travelling from Bhopal to Patna to attend his friend's wedding on November 21
* The family, like most of the other passengers, were deep asleep when the train jumped off the tracks
* The family is extremely worried about their son, Triyansh, who has not been traced yet
