JAMSHEDPUR/RANCHI/KOLKATA, July 30: Two persons were killed and 20 others injured as at least 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district early on Tuesday, officials said.
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The accident occurred at 3.45 AM near Barabamboo, around 80 km from Jamshedpur, under the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway (SER), they said.
SER spokesperson Om Prakash Charan said that there was another derailment of a goods train nearby, but it was not yet clear whether the two accidents occurred concurrently.
“Two persons were killed and 20 injured as 18 coaches of Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed near Barabamboo. Rescue operations are on and an NDRF team is rushing to the spot,” West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Kuldeep Chaudhary, who is camping at the accident site, told PTI.
He claimed that the “Howrah-Mumbai train hit the stationary goods train”.
The accident site is near the border between West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts.
“At least 18 coaches of the 22-coach 12810 Howrah-Mumbai Mail via Nagpur derailed near Barabamboo station in SER’s Chakradharpur Division at 3.45 AM,” the SER spokesperson said.
Of these, 16 were passenger coaches, one power car and one pantry car, he said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed officials concerned to expedite relief operations and help the injured people.
“The injured passengers were provided medical aid in Barabamboo. They were taken to Chakradharpur for better treatment,” another senior SER official said.
The rescue operation is on, he said.
“A relief train for evacuation of passengers to nearby Chakradharpur railway station has arrived. Besides, buses are also being arranged for transportation of passengers,” the West Singhbhum DC told PTI.
Another official said 80 passengers have already been sent to the Chakradharpur railway station by buses.
Seraikela-Kharsawan Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said rescue operations were being carried out promptly.
Several trains on the route have been cancelled or diverted, he said.
The train, which left Howrah on Monday night, met with the accident early this morning, the SER official said.
The train accident was reported from Potobeda in the Kharsawan block of Seraikela-Kharsawan district, said an official of the local administration.
“The Howrah-Mumbai Mail and a freight train were involved in the accident. The assessment of injured people is underway,” he added.
The SER cancelled a few express and passenger trains on Tuesday owing to the accident, including 22861 Howrah-Titlagarh-Kantabanji Ispat Express and 12021 Howrah-Barbil Janshatabdi Express.
Some other trains were either short-terminated or diverted owing to the accident near Barabamboo station, the official said.
The South Eastern Railway on Tuesday opened helpline numbers after the derailment of the 18 coaches of the train.
The helpline numbers are 022-22694040 for Mumbai, 08799982712 for Bhusawal, 7757912790 for Nagpur, 0657-2290324 for Tata, 06587-238072 for Chakradharpur, 0661-2501072 and 0661-2500244 for Rourkela and 06645-272530 for Jharsuguda, the SER said in a statement.
Helpline numbers for Howrah are 9433357920 and 033-26382217, and for Shalimar are 7595074427 and 6295531471 and for Kharagpur is 03222-293764, he added.
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