The death toll in one of the worst railway disasters in the country reached 145 on Monday, the officials confirmed. Uttar Pradesh DGP Javeed Ahmed said that among the dead 123 people have been identified, out of which 110 have been handed over to kin.
Over 150 were injured in the incident that occurred on early Sunday morning at 3am when the Patna-bound Indore-Patna Express derailed near Pukhryan station, which is located about 60 Km from the Kanpur city. S1, S2, S3, S4 were the worst affected coaches of the train.
Among the dead, at least 20 are from Uttar Pradesh, 15 from Madhya Pradesh and six are from Bihar. Railway officials assisted by the army and NDRF officials carried out the search and rescue operation, PTI reported.
“Our rescue op continuing since 9 am in the morning, and will continue till there is surety that there is nobody stranded,” NDRF jawan Ravinder Singh said in a statement.
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu arrived at the scene of the incident on Sunday night and visited the hospitals where the injured had been admitted to. “High-level orders are being given to probe the accident,” Prabhu said, adding that the Railway Ministry has collaborated with the Uttar Pradesh government to provide all necessary help.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday expressed deep sorrow over the derailment of 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express. Describing the incident as ‘tragic’, the Bihar CM expressed his condolence to the bereaved families.
Meanwhile, two bogies of a goods train derailed in Jhansi on early Monday morning.
