Over 100 dead and 150 injured in Kanpur train accident; rescue in process

 Rescue in Process

TIMES OF PUNJAB

Lucknow, November 20

Fourteen coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed near Kanpur in the small hours of Sunday, killing at least 95 people and wounding more than 150 people, police and administration officials said.

Police said at least 15 people were still trapped as rescuers used gas cutters to get to them. The worst-affected coach appears to be S3.

Kanpur Range Inspector General Zaki Ahmad said: "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".

Union Railways Minister Sunil Prabhu has orderd investigations into the incident.

"All rescue and relief work is on to deal with the unfortunate accident. All medical and other help rushed… Inquiry ordered. Situation is being monitored closely," Prabhu said.

Rajen Gohain, Minister of State for the ministry, attributed the accident to faulty tracks.

"We haven't seen an incident like this in Indian Railways for a long time because we have taken a lot of safety measures. Earlier, these kind of accidents used to happen because of the negligence of the driver but despite taking all safety measures this tragic incident took place. This is a cause of concern and we are investigating the reasons behind it. There must be a fault in the track as 14 bogeys have derailed and this happened despite regular checking of the tracks," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths.

 

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 (@narendramodi) November 20, 2016

Prabhu later announced a compensation of Rs 3.5 lakh for the families of those who died, and Rs 50,000 for the critically injured. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh  families of the dead victims and Rs 50,000 for those who were gravely injured.

Akbarpur 's BJP Parliamentarian Devendra Bhole Singh claimed the number of the deaths stood at 70.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has sent the National Disaster Relief Force to the site of the accident. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also condoled the deaths. The Bihar Government has postponed a function they schedule to release their state’s progress report for 2016 after the accident.

Helpline numbers

Patna: 0612-2202290

            0612-2202291

            0612-2202292

Railway-025-83288

Mugalsarai- 05412-251258

Hajipur: 06224-272230

Jhansi - 05101072

Orai - 051621072

Kanpur - 05121072

Pokhrayan- 05113-270239