UP train crash toll rises to 28, probe begins Thursday

The toll in two trains' collision in Uttar Pradesh's Sant Kabir Nagar district has risen to 28 and a probe into the accident will begin Thursday.

Chief Commissioner of Safety (Railways) Prabhat Kumar Bajpayi would be arriving at the site of Gorakhdham Express-goods train collision in Sant Kabir Nagar Thursday and begin investigating the reasons that led to it.

The toll in the accident rose to 28 with the discovery of the badly mauled body of the assistant driver of the train.

Identified as Ravi Ranjan, resident of Bihar, the assitant driver was found in the mangled remains of the engine of the train.

Railway officials said seven injured passengers continue to be critical.

As many as 53 passengers are admitted at various medical facilities.

The up line on the route between Gorakhpur and Lucknow has been opened for traffic while the down line is likely to be repaired by noon Wednesday, officials said.

"While we have repaired the tracks, the main and loop lines will take a few more days to take optimum traffic," an official told IANS.

More than two dozen trains have either been diverted, cancelled or terminated mid-way due to the accident Monday.

Officials fear that the number of dead could increase as cranes and cutters were still at work.

It is time-consuming operation but we are trying to be sure that no one is in the debris of the coaches, a North-Eastern Railways (NER) official overseeing the operations said.

The Gorakhpur bound Gorakhdham Express rammed into a stationary goods train in Sant Kabir Nagar Monday. Union Minister Kalraj Mishra and Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha Tuesday visited the accident site and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs.2 lakh for the families of the dead and Rs.1.lakh for those critically injured.