Madhya Pradesh Train Derailment: Rail Traffic Hit, Over 25 Trains Diverted

Bhopal: Train traffic has been hit in north India after two trains derailed in Madhya Pradesh late last night, leaving over 20 dead.

Ten bogies of two packed passenger trains derailed near Harda in Madhya Pradesh within minutes of each other. Over 300 people have been rescued so far.

At least 25 trains from Mumbai have being diverted. Trains from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have also been stopped. Sources say some trains may be diverted to Rajasthan.

Among the trains diverted this morning were the Amritsar-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express, the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Vasco Express,
the Bhusaval-Itarsi train, the Gorakhpur Kushinagar Express, CST-Amritsar Express and the CST-Howrah Mail train.

The railways have ordered a probe into the derailment that took place at around 11:30 pm when the trains were crossing a small bridge near the Kudawa railway station, around 25 kilometres from Harda.

The track caved in due to heavy rain, leading to the derailment, said Railways spokesperson Anil Saxena.