Seven people have died and around 30 people have been injured after a Delhi-bound train derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli early this morning.
Eight coaches of the New Farakka Express derailed near the Harchandpur railway station in Raebareli at around 6:05 am, Northern Railway Divisional Railway Manager Satish Kumar said. The train was headed to New Delhi from Malda town in West Bengal.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Lucknow and Varanasi are at the site of the accident to rescue passengers who may have been trapped.
A team of doctors in an accident relief medical van has been rushed to the site and emergency helpline numbers have been set up at the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction in Mughalsarai, officials said.
The injured passengers have been taken to nearby hospitals.
All train lines on the route where the accident took place have been blocked and officials fear that the casualties may rise.
Sources Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani is on his way to the accident site.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences and asked 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. He has also directed the most senior police officer in the state to take all necessary action.
In November 2016, 150 people died after the Indore-Patna Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.
Emergency helpline numbers 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
