Rounak Khare, Pune
On Thursday, around 2.30 PM, 6 coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh express derailed in UP which left 4 passengers dead and 32 others injured. The incident took place near Gonda, as the Assam-bound train was headed towards Jhilahi station in Uttar Pradesh. Several trains have been impacted on the route and a few trains have been diverted, Pankaj Singh, CPRO North Eastern Railways has said, as reported by PTI. Rescue teams were sent to the site for relief operations, as Uttar Pradesh’s Relief Commissioner posted on X that one NDRF team each was sent from Lucknow and Balrampur to Gonda.
Ex gratia of Rs 10 Lakhs shall be given to the family of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakhs for grievous injury and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries caused by this incident, as announced by the Ministry of Railways.
The railways and the Uttar Pradesh Police are investigating the claim of the train’s loco pilot, who reported hearing an explosion just before the derailment, the Indian Express has reported.
Manoj Pandit, a passenger on the train, has said that there was a sudden noise and the train overturned, according to a news report by ANI.
The North-eastern Frontier Railway (NFR) bulletin said that the stranded passengers of the derailed train are being brought by bus to Mankapur station near Gonda. It stated that a special train shall run from Mankapur to Dibrugarh with stoppages en route. The bulletin also said that in the wake of the accident, three trains under the NFR are being run through a diverted route.
Aditya Kumar, the divisional railway manager of North-Eastern railway said in a quote to ANI, that around 800 railway personnel are carrying out restoration work, and that the upline will be repaired soon. He further said that trains will run on diverted routes until then.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X in regards to the incident, that no casualties from Assam had been reported, and that he is closely monitoring the situation. He further stated in the post that there are teams on standby for support, and that they will do their best to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath posted on X that the district administration officials have been directed to carry out relief operations on a war footing. They have also been instructed that taking the injured to the hospital be given top priority and that they are provided with proper treatment. He ended the post with prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured.