BILASPUR: The death toll in the collision between a passenger train and a goods train near Bilaspur railway station in Chhattisgarh has risen to 11, officials said on Wednesday.
Rescue personnel had to toil for hours, cutting through the mangled coach of the passenger train, as several bodies were trapped in the wreckage, a railway official said.
The incident occurred around 4 pm on Tuesday when the MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) passenger train was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra in neighbouring Korba district, officials added.
The affected line was restored on Wednesday morning.
"Eleven people have lost their lives and 20 others have been injured in the accident," the Railways said in a statement.
The railway administration immediately launched relief and rescue operations. The injured were being provided with proper medical treatment at nearby hospitals.
The impact of the collision was so severe that a coach of the passenger train ended up on top of a wagon of the cargo train, officials said. Rescue and restoration work on the affected line was completed by 5.30 am on Wednesday, allowing train movement to resume.
The injured passengers have been shifted to Apollo Hospital and the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) in Bilaspur.
Of the 11 deceased, five have been identified: passenger train loco pilot Vidya Sagar (53), Lovkush Shukla (41), Ranjeet Prabhakar (in his early 40s), Shila Yadav (25) and Priya Chandra (21). Four women and two men among the deceased are yet to be identified.
The 20 injured include nine women and a two-year-old boy.
Assistant loco pilot Rashmi Raj (34) of the passenger train, train manager (guard) Ashok Kumar Dixit (54), and guard of the goods train Shailesh Chadra (49) were among those hospitalised, officials said.
The injured have been provided with an ex gratia of Rs 50,000 each as advance relief. The railway administration maintained continuous contact with hospitals to ensure medical treatment, transportation and necessary support for all affected persons. Senior railway officials were monitoring the situation and taking steps to ensure the speedy recovery of the injured.
"The passenger train hit the goods train from behind at a speed of 60–70 km/h after overshooting a red signal," a senior railway official said.
"It is now a matter of investigation why the loco pilot failed to stop at the red signal and did not apply the emergency brake in time, even though the goods train was within visible distance," the official added.
Loco pilot Vidya Sagar was among those killed, while assistant loco pilot Rashmi Raj sustained serious injuries.
The passenger train rammed into the brake van of the goods train with such force that it was badly mangled, officials said. The manager (guard) of the goods train jumped from the last coach at the last moment and sustained minor injuries. Both injured railway personnel have been hospitalised.
The railway authorities announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh to the seriously injured, while those with minor injuries will receive Rs 1 lakh.
A detailed inquiry will be conducted at the level of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) to ascertain the cause and recommend corrective measures.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the accident and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
