Crack in tracks apparently led to derailment: Railways

Speaking on the sidelines of a function, minister of state for Railways Manoj Sinha said that "according to the Divisional Railway Manager, prima facie fresh weld failure on left side caused the derailment."

Fresh weld means that the crack was not old and had developed suddenly. Therefore, it could not be detected.

While the UP ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said 52 passengers were injured in the mishap, Sinha said 21 were injured, including one seriously.

The derailment took place near Mahoba station in Uttar Pradesh.

The DRM of Jhansi Division and General Manager of North Central Railway have rushed to the site after the accident to supervise the rescue and relief operations.

Eight bogies of the Jabalpur-Nizamuddin Mahakaushal Express had derailed early today in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh.

The mishap left 400 metres of track damaged and disrupted rail traffic on the route with services of 14 trains disrupted.

In Lucknow, ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said the incident took place around 2.20am when eight bogies of the train derailed injuring some 52 people.

Some have been discharged after first aid while others have been admitted to local hospitals, the ADG said, adding that ambulances and teams of doctors reached the spot and monitored the relief and rescue operations.

UP minister for health Siddharth Nath Singh, who rushed to the spot, announced a monetary assistance of Rs 50,000 each to the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 to those who suffered minor injuries, the SP said.

At least 17 helplines have been made operational at different stations en route to assist relatives of passengers travelling in the train.

Besides, railways have made catering arrangement for the passengers on the site.