Indore-Patna Express mishap toll rises to 150; rail services resume

The death toll in the Indore-Patna Express derailment at Pukhrayan, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday mounted to 150 making it the deadliest train accident in the last 17 years with four more persons, including a 12-year-old boy, succumbing to their injuries.

The deaths reported from hospitals pushed the toll to 150 even as railway services resumed on Jhansi-Kanpur section after damaged tracks were replaced between Pukhrayan and Malasa stations.

"Ram Singh, 52, and Abhay Shrivastava, 12, passed away during treatment at Regency and Hallet hospital of Medical College here," Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ramayan Prasad said. The identity of two other deceased was not known.

With these deaths, the Sunday derailment of the train 19321 has become the deadliest rail accident since August 2, 1999 when 290 persons were killed after two trains carrying a total of 2,500 people collided at Gaisal in Assam.

Prasad said the condition of six persons is serious.

145 bodies have been identified and handed over to the families after post-mortem. The autopsy of five other bodies will be conducted after they are identified, he added.

Medical College Principal Dr. Navneet Kumar said 65 injured persons are admitted in the Hallet Hospital and six of them are in the ICU.

Meanwhile, train services resumed on the affected section, where 14 coaches were derailed in the wee hours of November 20, disrupting traffic on the route. Four trains were cancelled and 14 diverted after the accident.

Kanpur IGP Zaki Ahmed said that besides replacing rails, electrical works were completed to ensure train operation on the busy route.

"The route became operational last night after the damaged tracks were removed from the site. A trial run was conducted on the tracks before the resumption of train services," he said.

Officials had said that prima facie, the cause of the accident could be track fracture.

Cracking the whip, Railways transferred Divisional Railway Manager of Jhansi Division S K Aggarwal and suspended five senior officials for the deadly accident.

Senior Divisionl Mechanical Engineer (Carriage and wagon) Navaid Talib, Divisonal Engineer MK Mishra, Senior Section Engineer Ambika Prasda Ojha, Section Engineer Iswar Das and Senior Section Engineer Sushil Kumar Gupta were suspended for dereliction of duty, according to Railways.

While Jhansi DRM was transferred to Ranchi, the five officials were suspended pending inquiry.

"It was very necessary to take action to fix responsibility. Suspension and transfer order was issued pending inquiry being conducted by the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS)," said a senior Railway Ministry official.

According to prima facie investigation, 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express were derailed at Pukhrayan in Jhansi division near Kanpur due to rail fracture.

Image: Rescuers work in progress at the site of accident where Patna-Indore Express train derailed near Pukhrayan village in Kanpur Dehat district. Photograph: PTI Photo