Utkal Express Live: Railways Cracks Whip, Suspends Four Officials
Two heavy duty 140-tonne cranes were pressed into service at the crack of the dawn to clear derailed coaches.
- 14 coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailed in Muzaffarnagar’s Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh
- The accident took place around 5:45 pm on Saturday
- At least 22 people reported killed, while over 200 were injured
- Senior railway official said that maintenance work may have caused derailment
- Four railway officials were suspended and three sent on leave
Four Railway Officials Suspended
Cracking the whip, the Railways on Sunday night sent on leave its three top officials, including a secretary-level Railway Board official, suspended four and transferred one in the wake of Utkal train derailment which appeared to have been caused by negligence.
Member (Engineer) in the Railway Board, Aditya Kumar Mittal, Northern Railway General Manager RK Kulshrestha and Divisional Railway Manager (Delhi) RN Singh were sent on leave, said a Railway Ministry statement.
Officials are usually sent on leave till the time the probe is over and the responsibility fixed.
RK Verma, Senior Divisional Engineer, Delhi division, Rohit Kumar, Assistant Engineer (Meerut), Inder Jeet Singh, Senior Section Engineer (Muzzafarnagar) and Pradeep Kumar, Junior Engineer (Khatauli) have all been suspended, the statement said.
Chief Track Engineer, Alok Ansal, has been transferred, it added.
President Kovind Condoles Loss of Lives
President Ram Nath Kovind has written to Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik expressing condolence over the lives lost in the Utkal Express derailment.
“I am sad to learn about the derailment of the Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express at Khatauli near Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, as a result of which a number of people lost their lives and others sustained injuries,” a statement by the Raj Bhawan said on Sunday citing the President’s letter.
“I understand both the state government and the railway authorities are providing all possible assistance to the bereaved families as well as the best of medical attention to the injured. Please convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. I wish speedy recovery to all the injured persons,” the letter read.
"No Terror Outfit Involved in Accident"
Uttar Pradesh Police’s ADG (Law and Order) said till now there was no proof of any terror outfit’s involvement in the derailment of the Utkal Express.
“Chances are that the derailment may have occurred due to some other or technical reasons,” the ADG said.
Track Maintenance Work May Have Caused Derailment: Railways
A preliminary probe has found that maintenance work was being carried out on the tracks where multiple coaches of the Utkal Express derailed.
The senior official, who rushed to the spot in Khatauli where the accident occurred, said he had seen maintenance tools on the tracks.
An initial report will be submitted to the ministry by Sunday evening, he said.
Jamshed said that a probe would ascertain if any maintenance work was being done on the tracks without permission.
“However, any work on tracks has to follow a manual. We have maintenance manuals which lay down guidelines for work on any kind of railway infrastructure,” he told the media.
Work Was Being Carried out on Tracks, Probe On: Railways
Investigators were on Sunday looking into what caused one of the deadliest train accidents in recent times as rescue operations continued, checking to see if there were people still trapped in the mangled coaches of the Utkal Express that derailed on Saturday.
“Prime facie, it seems maintenance work was being carried out on the tracks. An investigation will reveal what caused the accident,” Mohammed Jamshed, Member (Traffic), Railway Board, told reporters in Delhi.
Case Registered Against Unknown Persons
Case has been registered against unknown persons under various sections, including 304A of IPC (death due to negligence).
Meanwhile, rescue operations at Khatauli, where the Kalinga Utkal Express had derailed, concluded on Sunday morning.
Prabhu Asks Authorities to Fix Responsibility
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday directed Chairman, Railway Board, to fix responsibility on “prima facie evidence by the end of day” into the derailment of the Utkal Express in Uttar Pradesh.
The minister in a tweet said he was monitoring the situation closely and that restoration of tracks was his top priority.
The minister, who has been keeping a close tab on the situation since Saturday, directed senior officials and medical personnel to provide assistance to injured passengers and all possible help to relatives of affected passengers.
Two 140-Tonne Cranes Have Been Pressed Into Service
Building on overnight search and rescue operation, the railways on Sunday deployed high-tech cranes and scores of workers to clear the tracks even as the sleepy town of Khatauli tried to come to terms with the train tragedy.
Two heavy duty 140-tonne cranes were pressed into service at the crack of the dawn to clear derailed coaches, from which the survivors were rescued and bodies pulled out till late last night.
"Train was Running at a Speed of 100 Kmph," Says Delhi Division DRM
Work is currently underway to haul an overturned coach, which had rammed into the facade of a local college, while another sleeper coach which had rammed into a house, shattering its frontage, is still to be restored on the ground.
Six of the derailed coaches were damaged severely.
Badly mangled coaches are posing a tough challenge in carrying out the work, going on in full swing after the rescue operation by the NDRF got over around 3 am.
A posse of security personnel from the UP Police, the the RPF, the PAC, the RRF, has been deployed at the site of the accident.
Locals Distribute Breakfast and Tea
Locals have been distributing breakfast and tea at the Utkal Express train derailment site since Sunday morning.
Another local said that the residents from the nearby village gathered at the accident spot minutes after the incident took place and rescued the victims to the nearest vehicles by vans and motor cycles.
20 Bodies Recovered, Confirms NDRF DG
Death Toll Reaches 23, 65 Confirmed Injured
Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that 11 dead bodies and 65 injured were brought to Khatauli hospital. Additionally, Union Health Minister JP Nadda asked central trauma care teams to remain on standby.
However a UP police press note put the injured at 40, after mistakenly placing the number at 400.
Due to the derailment, at least 10 trains were diverted. The Station Master in Haridwar also confirmed that 10 coach relief trains were being made to run from Saharanpur.
14 Coaches Derailed, Confirms Railway Spokesperson
However, according to some media reports, construction work was underway at the tracks, which may have been a cause of derailment.
Railway Minister Announces Compensation
Railway Minister announced ex gratia of Rs 3.5 lakh for families of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured. He also announced Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries.
Emergency Helpline Numbers Released by Indian Railways
Odisha CM Patnaik Assures Help to Affected Passengers
Extremely Pained, Wish Speedy Recovery: PM Modi
10 Dead, 40 Injured; ATS Team On-site
An Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team was sent to the site, while at least 10 were confirmed dead and 40 injured.
According to Puri’s station master, 86 passengers had boarded reserved coaches from Puri. Of this 80 were in second class sleeper and six were in Third AC. There is no information so far about those in the general coaches.
Lalu Hits Out at Suresh Prabhu
Former Railway Minister lashed out at Suresh Prabhu and said:
Train Crash is Saddening, Will Provide All Possible Help: Yogi Adityanath
(The train crash in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar is saddening. We will provide all treatment to the injured. Have given instructions to provide all help possible.)
Minister of State for Railways to Visit the Site
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted that rescue operations are underway and that the situation is being closely monitored.
Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha will visit the accident site with seniors officers, reportedly.
Sinha added that he is closely following the situation and that all efforts are being made to provide speedy relief.
Six people were injured as at least six coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailed in Khatauli near Muzaffarnagar on 19 August, officials said. ADG (Meerut Zone) Prashant Kumar said the number of injured persons was yet to be ascertained. According to some media reports, at least 10 people were killed.
Ambulances reached the railway station, while nine PAC Companies were issued orders to immediately reach Khatauli to extend help in relief and rescue operations.
Railway ministry officials said they are still awaiting details of the accident that took place around 5:45 pm.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all possible help. Television visuals show derailed coaches have crashed into a house.
Anil Saxena, Railway spokesperson said on the issue of casualties:
Local administration officials have reached the spot and rescue operations are underway, officials in Delhi said.
The derailment is likely to affect movement of trains on the busy Northern Railway route.
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