At least two passengers were killed and 60 passengers were injured, some of them critical when 15 coaches of 12987 Sealdah-Ajmer express derailed between Rura and Metha stations in the district on Wednesday on the busy Howrah -Delhi trunk route.
Inspector general of police (Kanpur zone) Zaki Ahmed confirmed death of two passengers in the accident. “Both the passengers died at Kanpur hospital during treatment,” he said adding that 60 others were injured.
Officials in lucknow, however, denied any casualty. UP DGP Javeed Ahmed said that NDRF teams were rushed to the accident spot. Ambulances from the neighbouring districts have been put into service and have been rushed to the hospital.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced financial assistance of Rs50,000 to those seriously injured and Rs25,000 to those who suffered minor injuries during accident. Yadav also wished speedy recovery to the passengers injured.
He directed officials to take adequate measures for the treatment of the injured and said there should be no laxity in this regard, an official release said here.
The Chief Minister also asked officials to extend all assistance to railway authorities in providing help to the passengers.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered a “thorough investigation” into the mishap. “I am personally monitoring the situation in the wake of unfortunate derailment of Sealdah-Ajmer Express near Kanpur,” Prabhu said in a series of tweets. “Thorough investigation will be carried out to ascertain the cause,” he added.
Manish Mishra a senior railway official said that the accident occurred around 50 kms always from Kanpur central station at around 0530 hrs. "About 60 persons have injured in the accident. All of them have been admitted to hospital. Condition of 8 patients is serious," he said.
However reports said that the guard of the train Dewa lal was also among the injured.
Mishra said two coaches of the train were worst affected as they toppled down a bridge and fell on the dry bed of the canal. Exact cause of the accident is not known. There was fog in the morning so it is expected that train was not running at high speed, he said and added that section in which the accident occurred was a modified automatic signalling system.
As per preliminary reports 15 coaches of the train derailed. The first 5 and last 3 coaches were intact while rest got derailed which includes two general coaches and 13 sleeper class.
However CPRO ,North Central railway, situated in Allahabad Vijay Kumar said that due to the accident several trains on the busy Kanpur-Delhi route has been detained at different stations .
Surprisingly thus is the second rail mishap in the district. On November 20 last Indore Patna express derailed near Powaya station on Kanpur-Jhansi route in which more that 130 passengers were killed.