Damaged track causes Punjab Mail's derailment

At least 19 passengers were injured when eight coaches of the Delhi-bound Firozpur-Mumbai Punjab Mail derailed near Kharawar village, about 14 km from Rohtak in Haryana, in the wee hours of Sunday.

Alok Mittal, IGP of the Rohtak range, said the incident took place around 3.30 am.

Out of the 24 coaches, the eight bogies that derailed include sleeper coaches from S-5 to S-10, apart from the guard-cum-luggage van.

Railway authorities have started an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the derailment.

The injured have been admitted to the PGIMS hospital in Rohtak.

Senior railway officers of and the police rushed to the spot and took the injured to the PGIMS hospital.

"Someone onboard the train had made a call to the police control room. We promptly reached the spot and helped railway officials in the rescue operation," said Mittal, adding that railway officials took nearly two hours to clear the track.

The train, then, proceeded towards its destination around 6 am.

Rohtak railway authorities said around 300 m of railway track has been damaged, but no casualties or major injuries have been reported.

"The railway minister himself spoke to the locomotive driver as well as hospital authorities in the morning. He also spoke to the divisional railway manager. The railways will bear the cost of treatment," they said.