7 Coaches of Shaktipunj Exp Derails in UP, No Casualties Reported
No casualties have been reported so far.
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In yet another derailment in Uttar Pradesh, seven coaches of Jabalpur-bound Shaktipunj Express jumped the track on Thursday near the Obra Dam station in the Sonbhadra district, officials said.
There was no report of any injury in the mishap, Railway ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said in New Delhi.
The train, which was coming from Howrah, went off the track around 6:25 AM between Obra and Fafrakund stations nearly 40 km from Sonbhadra, leading to a disruption in the traffic on the Chaupan-Singharauli route.
Sonbhadra, which shares borders with four states (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh Jharkhand and Bihar), has a history of Left-Wing Extremist activities. But Additional Superintendent of Police Awadesh Singh ruled out any Naxal angle behind the act.
Official sources said the train was running at a speed of about 40 km/hr which might have prevented any injuries being caused to the passengers. The derailed coaches were later detached and normal traffic resumed at the derailment site.
All passengers were accommodated in the remaining coaches and the train left within an hour.
In another derailment episode, the engine and power coach of a Rajdhani Express from Ranchi went off the tracks near Delhi, hours after the Shaktipunj incident. No casualties were reported in the second derailment either.
Fourth Rail Derailment in 30 Days
This is the fourth incident in the last 30 days.
As many as 13 coaches of the Kalinga Utkal Express bound for Haridwar in Uttarakhand went off the tracks on the evening of 19 August, killing over 20 people and injuring at least 200.
The engine and five coaches of Kaifiyat Express derailed near Auraiyya district of Uttar Pradesh, injuring more than 50 passengers, on 23 August.
Nine bogies and the engine of the Mumbai-bound Duronto Express derailed on 29 August after heavy rains washed away a part of the tracks in Maharashtra’s Titwala district.
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