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91 Dead, 100 Injured As Indore-Patna Express Derails Near Kanpur:

Nov 20th, 2016 6:10 am | By | Category: LATEST NEWS

THE NEWSMAN OF INDIA.COM “update”
At least 91 people are dead and more than 100 have been injured after the Indore-Patna Express train derailed near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday morning, toppling most of the coaches.

Fourteen coaches of the train were thrown off track around 3 am in Pukhrayan, 100 km from Kanpur, when most passengers were sleeping.

First visuals showed the coaches smashed up against each other and rescue workers trying to cut through mangled metal to pull out passengers.

Witnesses spoke of being woken up by a huge bang and being thrown around. “We woke up to a great thud this morning. It was pitch dark and the noise was deafening,” a passenger told reporters. “I am lucky to be alive and safe. But it was a near death experience for us,” he added.

The cause of the accident is not known yet. Doctors and senior railway officials are at the spot, along with hundreds of villagers.

Heavy machinery including gas cutters are being used to rescue trapped passengers. “It is a delicate situation,” said Daljeet Singh Choudhary, a senior police officer.

Most of the deaths have been reported in two coaches that were severely damaged, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “anguish beyond words” and said he had spoken to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu who was monitoring the situation closely. “Anguished beyond words on the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” he said.

The National Disaster Response Force has been also been sent in to help with the massive rescue.

In tweets, Suresh Prabhu said he had ordered an inquiry and “strictest possible action will be taken against those who could be responsible.”

Indian Railways is the world’s fourth largest network, ferrying more than 20 million each day. Another train accident in Uttar Pradesh in March last year left 39 dead and injured 150.

Helpline Numbers: Patna – 0612-2202290, 0612-2202291, 0612-2202292, 025-83288 | lndore – 0741 1072 | Ujjain – 0734 2560906 | Ratlam – 07412 1072 | Mugalsarai – 05412-251258, 05412-254145 | Hajipur – 06224-272230 | Jhansi – 05101072 | Orai – 051621072 | Kanpur – 05121072 | Pokhrayan – 05113-270239

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