Kanpur Rail Tragedy: Death Toll Reaches 150, Rescue Operations End

Rescue operations are currently underway, with the total number of casualties on the steady rise.

Visuals of the accident site as rescue operations continue. (Photo: PTI)

Fourteen coaches of 19321 Indore-Rajendranagar Patna Express derailed near Pukharayan district of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, early on Sunday morning.

The death toll in the accident on Monday mounted to 150 as rescuers wrapped up their operation, with little hope of finding any survivor after overnight efforts to pull out trapped passengers from the mangled bogies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each of those killed and Rs 50,000 for each of the seriously injured.

Over 200 people are feared injured in the tragedy.

Also Read: Helpless Bride, Kids Trapped: Survivors Recount Kanpur Rail Mishap

The S1 and S2 coaches of the train bore the major brunt of the damage as they smashed into each other. Two other coaches, S3 and S4 also went off track but were not damaged to a great extent. The third AC BE also suffered damage.

Official findings of the preliminary probe by the Indian Railways as on paper. (Photo: The Quint/Pallavi Prasad)

I Alerted About Strange Sounds of Wheels, Wasn’t Taken Seriously: Passenger

The wheels of the Indore-Patna Express made strange sounds, a passenger of the ill-fated train said on Sunday, also claiming that he had alerted a railway official about it.

“I boarded (sleeper coach) S-2 of Indore-Patna Express around 2 pm in Indore and after an hour I alighted in Ujjain yesterday. I informed an officer in railway uniform in my coach about the strange sound of the wheels. But he didn’t take it seriously,” Prakash Sharma (35), a resident of Kherkheda village in MP’s Mandsaur district, told reporters.

Rail Fracture Suspected to Be Cause of Derailment

The derailment could have been caused due to rail fracture, according to sources in the Railways. The Railways also asserted that they videographed the entire Kanpur-Jhansi track to ascertain the cause.

While the exact cause of the Kanpur accident will be known after the enquiry report, prima facie indicates towards rail fracture, the sources said.

Another reason emerging as the reason is that the train had ICF coaches, infamous for piling up in case of accidents. Had there been stainless steel Linke Hoffman Busch (LHB) coaches, then the damage could have been less as these coaches have more in-built safety features, which can absorb shock and impact of derailment more effectively and as a result do not topple, they said.

Also Read: Kanpur Rail Mishap: There Are No Checks & Balances in the Railways

A list of injured passengers admitted to the Zila hospital in Kanpur has been released:

Rescue Operations Underway

• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rescued more than 50 passengers including 16 badly trapped from the mangled bogies of Patna-Indore Express.
• NDRF deployed nearly 200 personnel in Kanpur for search and rescue operations at the site of train accident.
• The five NDRF teams were deployed after Home Minister Rajnath Singh instructed NDRF chief RK Pachnanda.
• To supervise the rescue operation, the DG of NDRF rushed to the site early in the morning from Delhi.
• To strengthen the rescue operation, additional two teams comprising 75 personnel were airlifted from Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad.

PM Modi, Sonia, Mamata Express Grief

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the train tragedy.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi also expressed deep distress over the loss of lives in the derailment of the Patna-Indore Express in Kanpur early this morning.

“Words can’t describe the pain and anguish of those who lost their near and dear ones and the entire country stands in solidarity to share this unbearable sorrow,” she said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar described the mishap of the Indore-Patna express as sad and expressed deep grief over the casualties, praying to the almighty to provide strength to families of the bereaved to cope with the tragedy.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed grief over the train accident.

"Saddened at the news of train accident. Thoughts and prayers with those families who lost their loved ones," Banerjee, a former Railway Minister, said in a message.

White sheets are laid down to lay down the deceased next to the accident site. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/Shouting Saloni)

Akhilesh Yadav Announces Compensation For Families of the Deceased

Expressing grief over the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that the priority was to save and rescue as many people as possible.

“When I was informed about the incident, I directed concerned officials to rush to the spot and conduct primary rescue operations. All resources are in place, the priority right now is only to save and rescue as many people as possible.”

He also announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to families of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for grievous injury and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured hailing from the state.

Fourteen coaches have derailed and capsized. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Qatar Tribune)

Suresh Prabhu Reach the Spot

Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu reached the accident site and personally supervise rescue operations.

He announced compensation for the deceased and injured.

List of trains diverted/cancelled following Patna-Indore express train derailment near Kanpur (UP). (Photo: ANI) 

Helpline Numbers Put in Place

To provide assistance to people caught in the tragedy, helpline numbers were put in place by the Railways ministry.

Politicians Take to Twitter to Offer Condolences

As the day broke and our leaders took up the day’s work once again, the news shook many to give their condolences and appease panic by tweeting out to people.

Also Read: ‘Deeply Pained’: Twitterati Express Shock Over Kanpur Train Mishap

Tweeple Unite

Along with politicians, actors, cricketers, activists and journalists also took to twitter to express grief on the unfortunate incident.