Railway Minister Piyush Goyal monitoring Shaktipunj Express derailment: IR PRO

Anil Saxena, the Indian Railways PRO, said that the situation is under control, following the Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express derailment and that the newly appointed Railway Minister, Piyush Goyal, is monitoring the situation.

He further informed that no casualty has been reported in the incident and all the passengers are safe.

"At 6.25 a.m., the derailment of Shaktikunj express took place. This accident took place in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. It falls under the East Central railway. Precisely, it happened between the Obra and the Farfada kund station. Seven coaches were derailed in this accident. The speed of the train was very slow. No causalities have been reported. All passengers are safe. There is no case of injury also. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal is keeping a track of this situation," Saxena told ANI.

Saxena further said that all stranded passengers have been evacuated from the accident site and arrangements for their tea and snacks have also been made.

"We will attach more coaches to this train and move it further to its destination. Everything is under control. Helpline numbers have been set to provide aid to passengers. We are addressing this problem in the most effective manner. Our officers have rushed to the spot," he added.

Saxena said that the allocations for safety-related work and addressing the problem of renewal and maintenance of tracks were also increased.

As many as seven coaches from the rear end of Train no. 11448 Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express, between Obra A Cabin and Paprakund stations, derailed on, Thursday morning, just after leaving the Obra station.