PTI
RAE BAREILI, MARCH 20
At least 32 people were killed and around 150 others injured today when the engine and two adjoining coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express derailed near Bachrawan Railway Station in this district. "The toll has gone up to 32," Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Ahmed Hassan told PTI over phone. Officials feared that the casualties could go up.
Though the cause of the derailment was not immediately known, officials at the scene of the mishap said the train apparently overshot a signal because of a possible brake failure before coming off the rails. The scene of the accident that occured at 9.10 AM was some 50 km from the state capital Lucknow.
One of the coaches was a general compartment, which lay mangled along the tracks as rescuers used gas cutters to rip apart the wreckage to find trapped people. Most of the casualties were from this coach, officials said.
The other was a guard compartment which is likely to have been vacant. If not for the vacant coach, the number of casualties would have been higher, the officials said.
The locomotive driver apparently overshot the signal and as a result, the engine and two adjoining coaches derailed, Railway Spokesperson Anil Saxena said in Delhi.
Railways have ordered an inquiry and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those killed in the accident. While Rs 50,000 will be given to those injured seriously, Rs 20,000 will be given to people with minor injuries.
As soon as the news of the accident spread, people from nearby villages rushed to the spot to help in rescue and relief operations even before authorities arrived at the spot.
The accident spot presented a devastating sight with one of the bogies reduced to a mangle of steel.
There was some anxious moments in the area as furious locals raised slogans against the administration and railway authorities, saying the rescuers took a long time to reach the spot.
Ambulances carrying teams of doctors were rushed to the accident site to help passengers who were screaming in pain, eyewitnesses said.
Train movement on the Lucknow-Varanasi section of the Northern Railway has been disrupted due to the accident.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner Railway Safety of Northern Circle, to ascertain the cause of the derailment.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced a compensation of Rs two lakh to the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
(Helpline numbers are -- 09794845621 at Bachhrawan, 0135-2624002 at Dehradun, 09794830973 at Lucknow, 9542-2503841 at Varanasi, 0534-2223830 at Pratapgarh, 0535-2211224 at Rae Bareli, 0134-226477 at Haridwar, 0581-2258161 at Bareily.)
Brake failure suspected in Rae Bareli rail mishap
Suspected brake failure could have led to the rail mishap in Rae Bareli, according to sources and eyewitnesses, although Railways have maintained that prima-facie cause of the derailment was overshooting of the signal by the loco driver.
Sources said the driver apparently applied the brake but the train did not stop pointing suspicion towards the failure of the braking system.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered an inquiry into the incident by the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) of Northern Zone.
“The real cause of the mishap would be known only after the inquiry, but it seems the driver apparently applied the brake but could not stop the train,” sources said.
They said there are possibilities of the brake-pipe between the locomotive of the ill-fated Dehradun-Varanasi Express and the coaches were apparently disconnected causing brake failure of the train.
The train was to stop at Bachhravan station at around 9.10 AM today but did not stop and entered the sand hump causing derailment of its engine and four coaches which resulted in death of several passengers and injuries to many.
Sources added the inquiry by the CRS will ascertain the reason of the derailment, but it seems, the brake-pipe between the locomotive and the coaches were apparently disconnected causing brake failure.
An eyewitness, who was travelling in the first bogey and was fortunate enough to jump at Bachrawan railway station where the train did not halt before the mishap, said that he saw the driver and the guard frantically signalling from the doors.
