Five dies in another rail mishap, ‘loco pilot heard loud sound’

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Chandigarh Express derails in Gonda while several passengers feared injured

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, July 18: Five passengers are feared to have died in a rail mishap involving Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. Fifteen bogies of the ill-fated train derailed.

Railway officials are claiming that the “loco pilot heard a sound of blast” before the mishap. Several passengers are feared to have sustained grievous injuries.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken stock of the accident with the officials. He has directed the officials to extend medical care for the injured passengers. The Railways also pressed into action relief efforts.

Eyewitnesses claimed that a number of passengers glasses of rail coaches to jump out. A few of the passengers are reported to have their legs cut after 15 bogies derailed.

Also Read: Spate of rail mishaps invites wrath of ex-officials; ‘heads must roll at top’

The Railways has not yet given an official figure of death and injuries of the passengers. The Ministry is reported to be collecting inputs from the mishap site where the officials have been rushed.

The Railways has diverted the trains, while rescue and relief works are being carried out. The local officials have told reporters that five passengers have died in the mishap. As many as 25 passengers are reported to have been injured in the mishap.

The rail mishap took place when birth day wishes were pouring for the Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnav on Thursday.

The Gonda rail mishap has taken place within a few weeks of the Darjeeling train mishap. Kanchanjunga Express was hit from behind by a goods trains.

The Railways had claimed that the loco pilot of the goods train had not followed the manual in stopping the train at the signal. The Darjeeling train mishap had taken on a rainy morning when the automatic signalling had failed.

Also Read: Over speed remains silent killer with 72 pc share in mishaps

As per the norms, the loco pilots of both the trains were provided with written permission to run their respective trains. The Gona rail mishap once again spotlighted the instances of the rail coaches derailing.

It may be noted that the Railways had announced the time frame for the replacement of all the ICF coaches which are prone to derailment. As per the plan, the ICF coaches have to be replaced by the LHB coaches.

The German-designed LHB coaches are less prone to derailment and mounting on each other. Besides, the rail safety has also come in the spotlight amid a spate of train mishaps.

The three trains’ mishap in Balasore in Odisha had accounted for deaths of 297 passengers. Afterwards, there have been a number of rail mishaps, including in Buxar in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

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