31 passengers have lost their lives and 150 were injured in the accident
Rescue work in progress after Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express derailed at Bachhrawan near Raebareli on Friday. (Photo: PTI)
Lucknow: Thirty-eight persons were killed and over 150 others injured, 47 of them seriously, as two coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express derailed near Bachhrawan in Rae Bareli district on Friday morning. The identity of the victims is yet to be ascertained. Union home minister Rajnath Singh and minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha met some of those injured in Lucknow and took stock of the situation. The accident took place around 9.30 am as the train was coming to a stop at Bachhrawan station, about 47 km from Lucknow.
According to a railway spokesman, the train was to stop at Bachhrawan station but the driver apparently overshot the signal, after which he probably applied emergency brakes that resulted in the derailment of the engine and two coaches.
One of the coaches, which was a general compartment, has been badly crushed in the impact. The other coach was a guard compartment, which was vacant, and it is this that took the biggest impact of the accident, and kept the casualties low. Passengers travelling in other coaches were also injured due to the impact. Lucknow divisional commissioner Mahesh Gupta told reporters at the accident site that 15 bodies had been evacuated, and the possibility of the death toll going up could not be ruled out. Gas cutters were being arranged to cut open crushed compartments to pull out passengers.
Twenty-four medical teams, along with a team of doctors from Lucknow’s King George Medical University, were rushed to the site to treat the injured. Those who were critically hurt were shifted to the Trauma Centre and the Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow for treatment.
IGP (administration) Prakash D. told reporters in Lucknow that several relief vans had also reached the accident site to help with relief and rescue efforts. The divisional railway manager was present at the spot.
The Railways have ordered an inquiry and announced compensation of Rs 2 lakhs each to the next of kin of those killed in the accident. UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakhs to the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 to each injured passenger. Those with minor injuries will be given a sum of Rs 20,000 each.
Rajni Tiwari, one of the passengers with minor injuries in the neck and hand, told reporters that people from nearby villages had rushed to the spot within minutes of the accident and helped in relief and rescue operations.
“Some of them got water from their homes and even provided first aid to injured persons. They also helped in evacuating some passengers from the coaches that had turned into a mangled heap of iron,” she said.
Rail traffic on the Lucknow-Varanasi section of Northern Railway was disrupted due to the accident and several key trains were being diverted. Leader of the Opposition in the UP Assembly Swami Prasad Maurya pointed out the inadequate response of the state government to the accident. Raising the issue in the Assembly, he said as soon as he got information about the mishap, he had tried to contact the district magistrate and SP of Rae Bareli, but both were unavailable. He said he spoke to the principal home secretary, who said the two officials were on leave.
“Finally, I spoke to the chief minister, who assured me that all necessary action would be taken, and that relief was being sent from Lucknow. I strongly condemn the attitude of officials,” he said in the Assembly.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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