116 killed in train accident near Kanpur

Centre announces a compensation of Rs 3.5 lakh, UP govt Rs 5 lakh, and MP govt Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased; 200 injured in the incident

At least 116 people were killed and more than 200 injured when an express train derailed in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, with the toll set to rise amid a scramble to locate survivors in the wreckage.

Police officials said people were still missing as authorities were trying to ascertain what caused 14 carriages of the train travelling between Patna and Indore to suddenly roll off the tracks in Pukhrayan, 65 km south of Kanpur city.

Authorities said they were checking what condition the tracks had been in but added they would need to look further before concluding the cause of the derailment.

 

Desperate survivors were looking for family members and some were trying to enter the damaged carriages to rescue relatives and collect belongings, said senior railway official Pratap Rai.

"We are using every tactic to save lives but it's very difficult to cut the metal carriages," Rai said from the accident site.

With the death toll set to rise, the derailment could become India's worst rail tragedy since 2005, when a train was crushed by rocks and another plunged into a river - each killing more than 100 people.

India's creaking railway system is the world's fourth largest. The central government runs 11,000 trains a day, including 7,000 passenger trains that ferry more than 20 million people, but it has a poor safety record, with thousands of people dying in accidents every year, including in frequent train derailment and collisions.

Suresh Prabhu, India's railways minister, said in a tweet that the government would investigate the causes of the derailment and promised accountability with the "strictest possible action" and compensation for the affected passengers.

Mangled carriages

The packed train, operated by the government, derailed in the early hours of Sunday when more than 500 passengers were sleeping, survivors said.

TV footage showed mangled blue carriages, with crowds of people and police on top of the wreckage searching for survivors. One carriage was almost lying on its side, and appeared to have been completely torn apart.

Rescue officials with yellow helmets were working their way through the crowds, carrying victims from the wreckage as teams struggled to remove the derailed wagons from the tracks, one of the main transportation routes for goods and passengers in northern India.

"Suddenly I could feel that the carriage was overturning. I immediately held the metal rod near the bathroom door," said Faizal Khan who was travelling with his wife and two children, all of whom survived the accident.

Another survivor, Rajdeep Tanwar said. "I can see bodies lying near the tracks, everyone is in a state of shock. There is no water or food for us."

Buses were being pressed into service to help passengers complete their journey, said police additional director general Daljeet Singh Choudhary.

Rescue teams said they would conclude the search operation before night fall and resume it on Monday, and nearby villagers were setting up temporary kitchens and erecting tents for survivors and officials.

Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a train derailment in Pukhrayan, south of Kanpur

Push to modernise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who started out selling tea outside a train station, has promised to modernise India's railways and build high-speed engines befitting Asia's third-largest economy.

His government has pledged to replace old tracks and upgrade security infrastructure but little progress has been achieved so far.

By some analyst estimates, the railways need 20 trillion rupees ($293.34 billion) of investment by 2020, and India is turning to partnerships with private companies and seeking loans from other countries to modernise its network.

Last year, Japan agreed to provide $12 billion in soft loans to build India's first bullet train.

Helpline numbers

Indian Railways has released helpline numbers in the following cities:

Indore:  07411072

Ujjain: 07342560906

Ratlam: 074121072

Orai: 051621072

Jhansi: 05101072

Pokhraya: 05113270239.

Voices on the accident

PM Narendra Modi: In an early-morning tweet, PM Modi said he was "anguished... on the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families".

Anguished beyond words on the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 20, 2016

Home Minister Rajnath Singh: Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was deeply pained by the loss of lives.

Deeply pained by the loss of lives caused by the derailment of Patna- Indore Express near Kanpur. My thoughts are with the bereaved families

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 20, 2016

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley prayed for speedy recovery of those injured.

I pray for speedy recovery of those injured in the accident of Patna-Indore express.

— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) November 20, 2016

MoS, I&B Ministry, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said sent out his thoughts and prayers to the affected in the hour of grief.

Tragic loss of lives in Patna-Indore express accident near #Kanpur . My thoughts & Prayers with the affected in this hour of grief.

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) November 20, 2016

MoS, External Affairs Ministry, VK Singh: Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (Retd) V K Singh said sent out his heartfelt condolnces to the families of those killed.

Heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved. Our efforts are underway to rescue & aid all affected passengers. #PatnaIndore

— Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) November 20, 2016

RJD chief Lalu Prasad: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former Union railway minister said he was deeply saddened by the incident. 

Deeply saddened to hear abt loss of lives due to derailing of Patna-Indore Express.My best prayers& thoughts wth injured & affected families

— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) November 20, 2016

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi: The office of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter that the member of Parliament from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh was "deeply pained to learn abt the derailment of the Patna Indore express that has claimed so many lives".

Deeply pained to learn abt the derailment of the Patna Indore express that has claimed so many lives.My condolences to the bereaved families

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 20, 2016

Amitabh Bachchan: Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan wrote on Twitter that he was saddened beyond words watching the visuals of the train derailment.

T 2448 - Saddened beyond words, watching visuals of the Patna-Indore train accident .. prayers for the hurt and bereaved ! pic.twitter.com/Bm7w68lAXP

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) November 20, 2016

Cricketer Mohammad Kaif: 

Prayers for the bereaved and those injured in Patna-Indore Exp train derailment near #Kanpur

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) November 20, 2016

Actor Priyanka Chopra:

My Heart bleeds for the victims of the Patna-Indore train accident.. Condolences and courage to the families.

— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) November 20, 2016