Nitish Kumar blames 'human failure' for derailment

Railway Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday blamed 'human failure' for the derailment of the Secunderabad-Manmad Express and announced that action would be taken against the railway officials found responsible for it.

"The accident was caused by the Secunderabad-Manmad Express being allowed to move to the main track on which a goods train was waiting," the railway minister told a television channel.

A major calamity was averted as the driver of the express train spotted the tail lamp of the goods train and applied emergency brakes, Kumar added.

However, despite this, the three bogies just behind the engine derailed.

The Assistant Station Manager and the pointsman of the railway station are absconding, Kumar said quoting a railway official who was also travelling in the train.

Rescue operations were on and if necessary the injured would be air-lifted, he added.

The Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 100,000 to the families of the deceased, Rs 15,000 to the seriously injured and Rs 5,000 to those who suffered minor injuries.

Minister of State for Railways Bandaru Dattatreya and senior railway officials have left for the spot, he added.