NEW DELHI: Fourteen people were killed and 95 others injured when the Gorakhdham Express on Monday derailed and rammed into a stationary freight train at Chureb railway station in Sant Kabir Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh. According to authorities, the number of casualties is likely to increase as rescue operations are still underway.
Six compartments of the Gorakhpur-bound train derailed at 10.35 am and climbed over the freight train on an adjacent track.
The impact was so intense that the bogies were badly mangled and several rescue teams were deployed to extricate passengers stuck inside.
“Fourteen people have been killed in the accident, while 95 others have been injured. The number of casualties can increase further as the rescue operation is still on and rescue teams are yet to reach one bogie hanging over the freight train,” Ram Krishan, DIG Sant Kabir Nagar told Express.
There were reports that 40 people had died but it was denied both by the Railway authorities and the district administration.
Confirming the number of victims, Sant Kabir Nagar District Magistrate Bharat Lal said: “The rescue operation is still on and the cause of the accident will be investigated by the Railway authorities.”
The Railways declared compensation of `1,00,000 to the next of kin of those who died and `50,000 for those who sustained grievous injuries, besides `10,000 to passengers who suffered minor injuries.
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced free treatment to the injured and hospitals have been put on alert. Emergency helpline numbers in Delhi and Gorakhpur have been activated.