Disclosure of casualty list only after verification: Railways Ministry

With the difference in number of causalities being reported post the Indore-Patna express accident near Pukhrayan of Kanpur Dehat district in Uttar Pradesh early this morning, the Ministry of Railways on Sunday issued a clarification stating that the official list of victims is disclosed only after a proper verification.

Ministry of Railways spokesperson Anil Saxena told ANI that 74 people have been killed and 91 injured according to the official figures.

"The death toll changes with more recovery of dead and injured people. We share the information only after the verification, this is the authorized way of doing this," he said.

"First police verify then hospital then doctors certify it and then it gets updated in the mortuary and then the official figure is updated," he added.

Saxena said Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, who will be visiting the spot, has categorically stated that if there is any lapse then the people responsible will not be spared and stringent action will be taken against them.

More than hundred passengers were injured when 14 coaches of the train derailed at around 3 a.m.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha has reached the spot to oversee the relief operations.

The Railways has released helpline numbers for the people- Ujjain - 07342560906, Ratlam - 074121072, Orai - 051621072, Jhansi - 05101072, Pukhrayan - 05113270239. The death toll may go up as some passengers are still feared trapped.