The Dadar-Porbandar Saurashtra Express derailed at the Kim station near Surat in Gujarat on Tuesday, December 24. No injuries have been reported yet, railway officials told news agency PTI.
The incident took place at 3:32 PM when the express train was departing from the Kim Station. At least four wheels of a non-passenger coach (VPU) attached next to the engine of the train got derailed.
Chief Public Relations Officer of the Western Railway said that restoration work is underway and senior officers have reached the site.
"There is no injury or harm to any onboard passengers or railway staff. The movement of trains is not affected," the Chief PRO said.
The reason behind the derailment remains unknown and the number of passengers on the train is yet to be confirmed.
3 Railway Staffers Held In Surat Over Fake Derailment Plot To Get Felicitated
In September this year, three railway employees were arrested in Surat for allegedly tampering with the tracks and flagging a "sabotage" to take credit for averting an accident.
The arrested accused included Subhash Poddar (39), Manish Mistry (28) and Shubham Jaiswal (26). All of them worked as trackmen in the maintenance department of the railways.
The Surat Police made the arrests after a probe was launched following information that some unidentified people had allegedly tampered with a railway track by loosening bolts and removing fish plates to derail the trains on September 21.
The SP said that the accused had also sent a video of the compromised track to their seniors to alert them about the derailment attempt. However, the police became suspicious over the time interval as the shots were found to have been recorded between 2:56 AM to 4:57 AM, while they claimed the incident took place at around 5:30 AM. They were arrested after they confessed to the crime during questioning.
According to Surat Rural Superintendent of Police Hotesh Joysar, the accused wanted to get themselves felicitated and thus got involved in the act.