A severe train accident occurred near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday, 20th November when 14 coaches of Indore-Patna Express derailed drastically because of suspected rail fracture. Almost 142 passengers, who were in sleep, were killed, and more than 200 people were injured in a terrible train accident. Rescue operations continued the whole day on Sunday at the accident site near Pukhrayan village in Kanpur district. Few passengers got stuck in a crushed coach as they waited for rescue. The rescue workers wrapped up their operation today morning after their constant effort to pull out the passengers from the derailed bogies overnight.
Indor-Patna Train derailed on 20th November (Rediff.com)
The situation was completely tensed from the time the train tragedy happened after 03.00 hours when its passengers were shaken from their sleep when Indore-Patna train jumped from its tracks, damaging 14 coaches among which 4 ordinary sleeper coaches were poorly smashed wherein 100 passengers got trapped. Quick rescue operations continued as death toll rose from 116 to 120 to 142. Rescue works was majorly accomplished by teams that belong to Army, UP Police, RAF and NDRF. More than 200 passengers among which many with severe injuries were removed from this train and further shifted to nearby hospitals! The first to reach the accident spot were villagers of Pukhrayan who put across this message to the authorities.
Rescue Workers worked efficiently to pull passengers (Times of India)
Quick Developments in this Indore-Patna Train Tragedy
- Fourteen coaches of Indoor-Patna Express in which more than 500 passengers were travelling and were asleep, rolled off the track after 3 am when this train derailed in Pukhraya, 60 km from Kanpur.
- Television visuals showcased that these 14 coaches crashed against each other badly, while rescue workers tried hard to pull out those unfortunate trapped passengers through rumpled metal.
Train Accident Indore-Patna the worst-hit (The Indian Express)
- Many casualties were claimed mainly from S1 and S2 coaches that had rammed into each other thus entrapping numerous passengers. Many of the families were traveling in this train to attend wedding in close-by cities and towns.
- Indore-Patna Express was running at full-speed of 110 km/hour while this unthinkable accident happened at Pukhraya (UP). Few minutes ago Sabarmati Express ran on the same track towards Jhansi, but it did not felt any kind of jerks.
- Passengers asleep were jerked awake while hearing this big bang noise and were thrown here and there out of the track. One passenger who was alive said, “We heard a loud noise; I feel really lucky that I’m safe and alive.”
Nightmare for the Indore-Patna Passengers (Times of India)
- A senior police officer, Daljeet Singh Choudhary told many of the passengers’ bodies were taken out of the train’s two coaches which fell on the sideways. When the train crash occurred, after many hours, doctors and a team of army personnel joined few 250 rescue workers.
- Those of the survivors were shifted to the nearby town from where they can travel to their destination by buses or trains.
- An investigation has been started by the Railways to resolve the actual cause behind the accident. According to Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha, the probable cause might be fracture in Indore-Patna rail and jamming in wheels. Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi expressed this accident as a ‘severe derailment of a complete railway organization.’
- Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted that a very strict action will be taken against those found guilty and responsible for this accident.”
Wheels detached (Greater Kashmir)
Compensation for Kin of Individual Deceased Passenger
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed that he is extremely sorrowful on the losses of lives of many passengers in this accident. He stated an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2.5 lakhs for victims’ families.
After 6 years biggest accident of Indore-Patna Express occurred (The Indian Express)
UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav made an announcement of Rs 5 lakhs compensation for kin of those passengers who died in accident as they conveyed their grief. MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for in of individual deceased passengers. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu of BJP increased the ex-gratia amount from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh to the families of deceased.
Rail Workers operating on Sunday night (The Hindu)
Railway Helpline Numbers
Railways have made accessible the helpline numbers as follows:
Indore: 07411072
Ujjain: 07342560906
Orai: 051621072
Ratlam: 074121072
Pokhraya: 05113270239
Jhansi: 05101072
Train derailed from the track (The Indian Express)
Among the passengers traveling in Indore-Patna Express, only 30% of e-ticket buyer chose for railway insurance. From 410 tickets that were booked on IRCTC website counting for 695 passengers of Indore-Patna Express, only 126 tickets accounting for 209 passengers added the travel insurance stated recently which price less than Rs 1. IRCTC provides passengers the option if benefiting travel insurance at 92 paise premium. The scheme stated by Railway Minister offers Rs 10 lakh compensation in death or complete disability, Rs 7.5 lakh compensation for partial disability, Rs 2 lakh for hospitalization expenditures, and Rs 10,000 compensation for transportation of passenger’s mortal from accident site.
Army Personnel helping the suffered passengers (India)
The Indore-Patna Express occurred during this time when Railways made a long-term plan to guarantee zero accidents in future on its system. This week a seminar session of 3-day was performed on Surajkhand, Haryana where it was discussed how ‘train accidents’ can be zeroed. Fourteen trains were diverted and four were cancelled after Indore-Patna Express got derailed. Families can contact helpline numbers for any kind of inquiry about their lost ones!
Latest Update on Derailment Toll touching 150
The death toll rose to 150 on Tuesday, 22nd November in Indore-Patna express derailment, thus making this accident as the deadliest one in the last 17 years with 4 more people, including a 12 year old boy, capitulating to their severe injuries. With these numerous deaths, the derailment on Sunday of Train No. 19321 Indore-Patna Express has turned to be the deadliest train accident since 2nd August, 1999 when approximately 290 passengers died after two trains carrying 2,500 passengers badly collided at Gaisal in Assam.
Sanghamitra Roychoudhary
Follow me as @SanghamitraRch on Twitter.
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