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7 coaches of Shaktipunj Express derail in UP, no casualties reported

Author: Dimple Shah
by Dimple Shah
Posted: Sep 07, 2017

Seven coaches of the Jabalpur- bound Shaktipunj Express derailed today in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, a railway official said.

"The accident occurred at around 6:25 AM and we have already cleared out the site," Railway ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

"All passengers were put on the remaining coaches and by 7:28 AM all of them had left the spot. All of them are safe and no one was injured in the accident," he said.

The train was running at a speed of about 40 km/hr which, officials say prevented any injuries when the incident occurred.

This is the third such derailment in the state in less than a month.

On August 19, the Utkal Express had derailed in Muzaffarnagar district, killing 22 people and injuring 156.

About 100 passengers were wounded when 10 coaches of Kaifiyat Express train derailed after crashing into a dumper which strayed on to the tracks in Auraiya district on August 23.

Earlier, as the authorities began probing the exact cause of the train disaster, a criminal complaint was lodged against unknown people for causing deaths by negligence.

Mohd Jamshed from the Railway Board told the media in New Delhi that lapses in maintenance work being carried out on the track could have caused the accident involving the speeding train at Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar district.

"We did a site inspection. Some track maintenance equipment used for repairs were found at the accident site (apparently left behind by workers)," Jamshed said.

He said the railways were probing the disaster from all angles and a case had been registered for "causing damage or destruction of railway properties, for mischief, for death by negligence, for causing grievous hurt, injuring lives by overlooking safety".

The official said authorities would look into possible sabotage and whether "all precautions were taken" while the repair work was on.

At Khatauli, angry locals accused the railways of gross negligence. According to them, workers repairing the tracks left mid-way because of heavy rains, leaving equipment on the tracks.

To worsen the situation, the local railway station manager claimed he had no idea of the work being carried out on the tracks. In the process, the train driver was not alerted to the danger.

The Kalinga Utkal Express was on its way from Puri in Odisha to Haridwar in Uttarakhand when 14 coaches derailed at Khatauli. The accident was so severe that some of the derailed coaches mounted on others.

Senior Superintendent of Police Anant Deo told IANS that 22 people had died: 20 in Muzaffarnagar district and one each in hospitals in Ghaziabad and Meerut where they had been taken by their families. All but two of them were identified.

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Author: Dimple Shah

Dimple Shah

Member since: May 08, 2017
Published articles: 447

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