1 dead, two injured after trains collide in Haryana

A local train rammed into the Delhi-bound Lokmanya Tilak Haridwar Express amid foggy conditions at Baghola village in Palwal district of Haryana on Tuesday, leaving the driver of one of the trains dead and two others injured.

Passengers of both the trains were safe in the mishap that took place around 8.30 am.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the guard bogie of the mail train and the engine of the Electric Multiple Unit were badly damaged resulting in the driver and assistant of the EMU getting trapped, according to railway officials.

They were later pulled out by passengers and admitted to hospital where the driver Yashpal succumbed.

While the driver of the Palwal-Ghaziabad EMU was killed, the assistant driver of the train and guard of the express train were injured in the mishap, Northern Railway spokesperson Neeraj Sharma said.

"There was fog in the morning and the EMU driver probably could not see the signal and hit the train from behind," he said.

After receiving the signal at Palwal Railway Station, the Mumbai-Haridwar train was cleared for departure towards Delhi.

But due to fog, the train was running at a slow speed. Near Baghola village, about 5 km from Palwal, the train was hit from behind by Palwal EMU shuttle, he said.

The injured guard of the express train has been identified as B B Gupta, railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

The mishap hit road traffic on the route, disrupting the movement of about 15 trains.

General Manager of Northern Railway A K Puthia, along with senior railway officials, rushed to the spot and is monitoring the situation.

Northern Railway has opened helpline numbers to provide information about the accident. The helpline numbers are 011-23459748, 1072, and 011-23341074.

Trains en route to Palwal-Asaoti section, which were held up, are being cleared through another line.

Photographs: PTI