Many people are injured in the derailment
7 people died and 60 are injured after 6 coaches of the New Farakka Express train derailed 50 m from Harchandpur railway station in Raebareli today morning. NDRF teams from Lucknow and Varanasi have reached the spot and are helping with the rescue, news agency ANI reported. PM Modi condoled the deaths on Twitter. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Railways minister Piyush Goyal announced compensation for the families of the dead as well as injured. The rescue operations have concluded and the injured have been taken to various hospitals. Various helpline numbers have been made available to the public for queries.
Here are the highlights of the derailment in UP:
JP Chief Mahendra Nath Pandey, state Congress President Raj Babbar state ministers and several others have also expressed their condolence over the loss of lives in the derailment.
Arun Jaitley tweeted his condolences on the accident:
5 trains cancelled/shortly terminated and 9 trains diverted after New Farakka Express Train derailment near Harchandpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh, earlier today, reported ANI.
The ADG said that the reason for derailment will be known after an Anti-Terrorism Squad is sent for an on-the-spot probe.
The state transport department has allocated six buses by which 300 passengers have been evacuated.
A National Disaster Response Force team comprising 40 personnel are at the accident site.
Senior officers, including the district magistrate, superintendent of police, CO, sub-divisional magistrate are at the spot and relief operations are in full swing, the ADG said.
The passengers are going to Lucknow and from there they will be sent to Delhi by a special train.
All passengers evacuated. Special train is being arranged to take them. It may take 24-36 hrs for completion of clearance operations: DRM Northern Railways on New Farakka Express Train derailment.
Ashok Gehlot tweeted his condolences on the accident:
Rescue and relief operations are underway at the spot where coaches of New Farakka Express train derailed in Raebareli:
PM Modi's office tweeted condolences on the deaths of the train derailment.
Additional Director General of Railways said that 9 coaches and the engine of the train derailed.
Drone Cameras, Long Range Cameras being used in the rescue operation.
Railway Ministry has directed to effectively undertake relief and rescue operations and provide best possible medical help to the injured. Piyush Goyal has ordered an inquiry which will be conducted by Commission of Railway Safety, Northern Circle. He tweeted he is in constant touch with the railway authorities for the relief work and announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of the dead, Rs 1 lakh for the severely injured and Rs 50,000 each for all injured passengers.
A crane has been deployed at the accident spot to pull out two people who are still buried under the coaches, ANI reported.
More than 60 people have been inured and rushed the district hospital in Raebareli. Of them, 30 are seriously injured.
According to the passengers, the train derailed after a loud noise. People from nearby villages were first responders on the accident site, news agency IANS reported.
At least 13 trains have been diverted or short terminated following the accident.
CM Yogi Adityanath has announced Rs 2 Lakh ex-gratia to the family of the victims and Rs 50,000 compensation for those with serious injuries.
The rescue operations are almost about to be over.
All up and down lines on the route have been blocked and officials suspect that the number of casualties may rise.
The train was heading to New Delhi from Malda in West Bengal.
A rescue train has also reached the spot.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences and directed the district magistrate, the superintendent of police, health authorities and the NDRF to provide all possible assistance to relief and rescue operations, an official spokesman said.
All up and down lines on the route have been blocked and officials suspect that the number of casualties may rise.
A team of doctors in an Accident Relief Medical Van has been rushed to the site in Lucknow and emergency helpline numbers have been set up at the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction, Mughalsarai, officials said.
Emergency helpline no. set up at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-BSNL-05412-254145
Railway-027-73677. Emergency helpline numbers set up at Patna Station -
BSNL-0612-2202290, 0612-2202291, 0612-220229, Railway Phone No.- 025-83288
Chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani would be visiting the accident site, reported news agency IANS.
Here are some visuals of the accident spot from UP:
According to the ADG, the coaches derailed around 6.05 am this morning.
Anand Kumar, ADG, law and order of UP say around 30 people have been injured seriously and they have been taken to a local hospitals, and some have been taken to Varanasi hospitals.
Several passengers are feared trapped in the derailment.