Harda: In a major tragedy, two express trains derailed within minutes in Harda district in Madhya Pradesh on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. 30 people have died so far and several others have been injured. The injured have been taken to hospitals and the death toll is likely to rise.
The incident took place when Varanasi-bound Kamayani Express from Mumbai and the Mumbai-bound Janata express that originated from Patna were crossing the flooded tracks on a railway bridge in the district and plunged into the swollen Machak river.
Briefing Parliament over the mishap, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said the prima facie cause of the incident is stated to be 'flash flood due to heavy rains'. His statement in the Rajya Sabha came amid the din by slogan-shouting opposition members.
The Railway Ministry has ordered an inquiry into the twin derailment. Commissioner Railway Safety (central zone) will conduct an inquiry into the accidents, Railway Spokesperson Anil Saxena said.
They have also announced a compensation of Rs two lakh each to the families of the deceased, Rs 50,000 each to those who have been grievously injured and Rs 25,000 to those who sustained minor injuries.
Several political leaders expressed their distress over the mishap. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was pained due to the loss of lives in the accidents. He also assured that authorities on the ground are doing everything possible.
Leading the attack against Prabhu, Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh demanded his resignation, citing the example of former Railways minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who had resigned following an accident.
Former Union Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi also took a dig at the Narendra Modi government, saying the country needs better tracks and not bullet trains. "Don't need bullet trains, India needs better tracks to prevent casualties in train accidents."
In a bizarre claim, the former minister further blamed the accident on "caste system" in the railways, saying trains like Shatabdi never face such incidents. He said, "Rich people travel in Rajdhani and Shatabdi, so they are taken care of, all other trains are left to the mercy of the almighty."
"Twenty nine bodies, including those of 13 men, 11 women and five children, have been recovered so far from the mishap site between Khirkiya and Harda, about 160 km from Bhopal," MP government spokesman Anupam Rajan said adding that the toll could further go up.
Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Bhopal, Alok Kumar said, "11 passengers of Janata Express and one from Kamayani Express were found dead. About rest, we are not sure whether they were local villagers or some other persons."
Making a suo motu statement on the incident in Parliament, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said "track washout" due to a swollen Machak river led to the derailment.
Just eight minutes before the incident took place, two trains had crossed that section and their drivers did not detect any problem.
Recalling the horror of the accident, the survivors said that the train shook like a tree. " We did not know how to get out of it. Some jumped out of the window. We too did the same and landed on wet soil. It was knee deep. Somebody said that the train had fallen into a shallow river," a passenger said.
"We felt the jerk instantly. When we opened the door and checked, there was water everywhere. In no time, the train tilted. And we all got trapped before we were rescued after three hours," another passenger who survived the accident said.
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