Lucknow, March 20 (IANS) At least 27 people were killed when the engine and two crowded coaches of a passenger train derailed in Uttar Pradesh on Friday after the driver overshot a signal, officials said.
The ghastly accident took place at Bachharwan railway station near Rae Bareli town when the Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express was proceeding to Varanasi, an official statement said.
One of the two coaches which derailed was a sleeper class. The other was a general coach.
An official statement said the driver overshot a signal and ran into a sand bump, causing the derailment.
Among the first to reach the site were people from nearby villages.
When journalists too reached the place, furious locals raised slogans against the state and railway authorities, saying official rescuers took a long time to start helping the injured.
Mahesh Gupta, Lucknow divisional commissioner, earlier told IANS that the toll could rise.
Rescuers struggled to remove bodies crushed within the mangled coaches. Some bodies were pulled out from under the coaches, strewn on the railway tracks.
Each injured passenger was put on a stretcher and rushed to ambulances, to be ferried to hospital.
"The number of casualties is likely to increase as the general coach has been completely flattened," an official told IANS.
Northern Railway officials said that prima facie the train driver seemed to be at fault.
"The train was to stop at the Bachharwan railway station but it did not. When he realized this, the driver applied the emergency brakes, leading to the derailment," one official said earlier.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu expressed condolences over the deaths. The railways ordered a probe into the accident.
His ministry announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh to families of each of the dead, Rs.50,000 to the seriously injured and Rs.20,000 to those who suffered minor injuries.
The Uttar Pradesh government announced similar compensation.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed shock over the accident, which took place in her parliamentary constituency.
The accident disrupted train services on the important New Delhi-Lucknow-Varanasi sector.
A special relief train has been rushed from Lucknow, officials said. Six doctors and 20 ambulances were also sent to the accident site.
Around 100 beds were reserved in Lucknow hospitals to cater to the injured, officials here told IANS.
Amravati Murder: Umesh Kolhe's murder was a big conspiracy, a group wanted to spread enmity based on religion
The murder of chemist Umesh Kolhe in Amravati, Maharashtra was a big conspiracy and its purpose was to spread panic in a section of the country. NIA has said this in its FIR. The National
'Local' formula will be applicable in military canteen, government asked these questions to companies supplying goods
New Delhi: The central government has gathered to carry forward the vocal campaign from PM Narendra Modi's local. The government has also started an exercise in this regard. In this episode,
'CBSE exams canceled' Arvind Kejriwal appeals to the Center because of the growing Corona case
New Delhi. Seeing the increasing cases of Coronavirus infection in the capital, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to the Central Government to cancel the CBSE 10th and 12th examinations. It is a
More than 700 million doses of COVAXIN to be made in a year, Bharat Biotech announced
Bharat Biotech has today announced to increase the capacity to produce 70 million doses of COVAXIN in a year. This goal will be achieved in a phased manner in Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The company
Pushpa The Rule: Makers of 'Pushpa 2' are preparing to give a big gift to the fans, the teaser of the film may come on this day.
Ever since Allu Arjun's Pushpa The Rise, people have been eagerly waiting for its sequel. The name of Pushpa The Rule is also included in the most awaited films of this year. Recently a big update has
Joe Biden, concerned for Xinjiang-Tibet-Hong Kong; So China again threatened Taiwan
US President Joe Biden has expressed concern for Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong. Biden and President Xi Jinping held talks on Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang. In the meeting, which lasted more than three
One-week lockdown in Iran's capital Tehran, with President Hassan Rouhani suspected of 25 million infected in the country; More than 6 lakh deaths in the world
So far 1 crore 43 lakh 5 thousand 650 people have been infected with coronavirus in the world. Of these, 85 lakh 45 thousand 834 have been cured and 6 lakh 1 thousand 654 have been killed. Meanwhile,
RJ Mahvash: Amid rumors of dating cricketer Yuzvendra, Mahvash was spotted with a rose in her hand, users reacted
After his divorce from choreographer Dhanashree, cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal was often seen with RJ Mahwash. Seeing the chemistry between the two, speculations started that they are dating. Yuzvendra
Daniel Balaji Passes Away: South actor Daniel Balaji dies of heart attack, breathed his last at the age of 48
Daniel Balaji Death: Bad news is coming out from South Cinema. Well-known actor Daniel Balaji, who created the magic of acting in Tamil and Malayalam films, is no more. The actor died on Friday (29
Jamia Millia Islamia: 12 Jamia scholars awarded PM Research Fellowship, this time the number doubled
12 scholars of Jamia Millia Islamia University have been awarded the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship.
