At least five people were killed and four seriously injured after nine coaches and the engine of the New Delhi-bound New Farakka Express (train number 14003) derailed near Rae Bareli at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
The express runs between Malda town in West Bengal and New Delhi. According to railway officials, all the deceased were from Bihar. They were identified as Ajay Kumar, 45, of Kishanganj; Sunita Manjhi, 52, of Munger, her son Shambhu, 25, and his one-year-old daughter Rita. The fifth casualty was seven-year-old Dinesh, also from Munger.
NDRF and SDRF teams pulled out 20 passengers from the derailed coaches, the police said, after using gas cutters to reach them. Drones and long-range cameras were deployed in the rescue work, they added.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has ordered an inquiry into the accident, which took place in the Harchandpur area of Rae Bareli. The inquiry will be conducted by the Commission of Railway Safety, Northern Circle.
A special train, which was arranged for the stranded passengers, left Lucknow for New Delhi at 2.45 p.m. with 1,369 passengers.
Ex gratia announced
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the tragedy. “Condolences to the bereaved families and I pray that the injured recover quickly,” he tweeted.
Mr. Goyal announced compensation of ₹5 lakh for the kin of the dead, ₹1 lakh for the injured and ₹50,000 for those with minor injuries. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for those seriously injured.
(With inputs from PTI)