At least 50 people were injured on Thursday after after eight coaches of the Mahakoshal Express got derailed between Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba and Kulpahar, PTI reported. Around 20 of the injured have been discharged, a member of the railway traffic board told ANI.
The train was on its way from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh to Delhi. A 47-member National Disaster Response Team is at the site. The NDRF’s RP Singh said there were no casualties so far.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh to monitor the rescue operations. “Whatever is to be provided in the form of relief, is being done. I will speak to the anti-terrorism squad and others at the site,” the health minister told ANI. Singh announced compensation of Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for passengers with minor injuries.
The North Central Railways’ Chief Public Relations Officer said an accident relief train had been deployed at the site, PTI reported. Authorities are yet to determine what caused the derailment, officials said. The railways administration has set up helplines at Jhansi, Gwalior, Banda and Nizamuddin stations to offer information to relatives of the passengers.
There have been several train accidents across the country in the past few months. In January 2017, at least 36 people died after the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express was derailed. The incident had followed the derailment of the Ajmer-Sealdah Express derailment and the Patna-Indore Express mishap.
Helpline numbers:
Jhansi: 05101-1072
Gwalior: 0751-1072
Banda: 05192-1072
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