At least 10 coaches of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express, bound for Dibrugarh in Assam, derailed near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. Three people have been reported dead while several others are believed to be injured in the accident.
As per initial reports, 10-12 coaches of the train derailed in the Gonda-Mankapur section in Uttar Pradesh. The Indian Railways said that the train derailed near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh around 2:35 pm.
Ambulances and medical teams were rushed to the spot between Motiganj and Jhilahi railway stations, about 150 km from the state capital, as news of the derailment came in. Those injured are being shifted to nearby hospitals. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Gonda and Deputy CMO are present on the spot.
The dead were identified as Saroj Kumar Singh (31), a resident of Araria in Bihar, and Rahul (38) from Chandigarh. A third death was reported late on Thursday and confirmed by the Gonda District Magistrate. Thirty of the injured were being treated at two community health centres and three at the district hospital.
The Railways have announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakhs to the family of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakhs for those who have been grievously injured and Rs 50,000 to those who suffered minor injuries. Apart from the CRS enquiry, a high-level enquiry has been ordered.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the train accident and directed officials to reach the spot immediately and expedite the relief work. He has given instructions for proper treatment of the injured, a statement from the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.
The senior railway officials have already arrived at the spot and rescue efforts are underway. An NDRF team has already left for Gonda to carry out the rescue efforts, while three teams of SDRF are already present on spot.
The Indian Railways have issued a helpline numbers in view of the accident. The helpline numbers are as follows:
- Commercial Control Tinsukia: 9957555984
- Furkating (FKG): 9957555966
- Mariani (MXN): 6001882410
- Simalguri (SLGR): 8789543798
- Tinsukia (NTSK): 9957555959
- Dibrugarh (DBRG): 9957555960
Meanwhile, the East Central Railways has also issued helpline numbers:
- Hajipur: 8252912078
- Muzaffarpur: 8252912066
- Barauni: 8252912043
- Khagaria: 8252912031
- Naugachia: 8252912018
- Samastipur: 8102918840, 06274-232131
The Dibrugarh Express derailment comes a month after the Kanchanjunga Express Collision on June 17 where at least 10 people died and dozens others were injured when the train collided against a goods train near New Jalpaiguri.
The express train was travelling from Agartala in Tripura to Sealdah in Kolkata. The loco pilot of the goods train and two other railway staff were among the dead.