Hirakhand express derailment: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announces ex-gratia

New Delhi: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, on Sunday, has announced ex gratia sum of Rs 2 lakh for kin of deceased people, 25,000 for injured and 50,000 for seriously injured in Hirakhand express derailment incident.  At least 26 people were killed and over 50 were believed to be injured after Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express derailed in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh, officials said on Sunday. The incident took place around 11 PM on Saturday when the train was on its way to Bhubaneswar from Jagdalpur. "Seven coaches and the engine of the 18448 Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express derailed near Kuneru station. Besides the engine, the luggage van, two general coaches, two sleeper coaches, one AC three tier coach and an AC two tier coach derailed," Chief PRO of East Coast Railway J P Mishra said. 23 passengers were killed, said Mishra. Rayagada Sub-collector Muralidhar Swain said that the number of injured could be around 100. The casualty figure may go up as many people are trapped, he added. The injured have been shifted to 2 hospitals at Parbatipuram and Rayagada. A team of doctors has reached the accident site. District administration of both Vijayanagaram and Rayagada are taking active part in rescue operations, said Mishra. Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express has 22 coaches The train had 22 coaches. Services were affected on Rayagada and Vijayanagaram route, with several trains diverted. "Total 4 accident relief vans rushed from different places. Priority is treatment, shifting of injured passengers to nearest hospital. @sureshpprabhu personally monitoring situation,directed senior officials to reach site immediately, ensure prompt rescue and relief ops," the railway ministry said in a series of tweets. "05 Buses arranged to carry passengers towards Brahmapur, Palasa and Vizianagaram, free of cost".

.@RailMinIndia 05 Buses arranged to carry passengers towards Brahmapur, Palasa and Vizianagaram, free of cost

— EAST COAST Railway (@eastcoastrail) January 21, 2017

"Total accident patients attended to at Rayagada dist hosp =32, Trivial injuries = 13, grievous injuries=4, simple injuries=15," the East Coast Railway tweeted. Helpline numbers "Helpline nos at Rayagada:BSNL LAND LINE NO. 06856-223400, 06856-223500 BSNL MOBILES 09439741181, 09439741071, AIRTEL 07681878777. Help line nos at Vizianagaram , RLY NO. 83331, 83332, 83333, 83334 BSNL LAND LINE: 08922-221202, 08922-221206," the railway ministry said on its twitter handle.