44 injured after Sealdah-Ajmer express derails near Kanpur, trains diverted

At least 44 passengers were injured after 15 coaches of the Sealdah-Ajmer express derailed near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh early morning on Wednesday.

The accident took place near Rura, 56 km from Kanpur, around 5.20 am today.

“Sealdah-Ajmer express derailed when it was crossing a bridge over a dry canal in the area,” Northern Central Railways PRO Amit Malviya said in an official statement.

While the exact cause of the accident is not clear, the low visibility due to fog is suspected to be a contributing factor.

The Sealdah-Ajmer express was running late by over 13 hours, starting the journey at 4:20 am on Wednesday instead of the actual departure time of 2:40 pm on Tuesday. The accident occurred exactly one hour after the train set off.

Of the 15 derailed coaches, 13 were sleeper class, while two were general coaches. The first five and last three coaches were intact, and two of the derailed coaches fell in a nearby canal.

At least 44 passengers were injured in the mishap, of which 24 suffered major injuries. All the injured have been shifted to hospitals in Kanpur and Tundla with the help of two dozen ambulances.

Earlier, reports claimed that two people have died in the accident. However, UP DGP’s office clarified that a medical examination has found them alive and they are undergoing treatment in a hospital.

“A rescue team has rushed to the spot and a medical relief train from Kanpur has also been sent to the accident site. Currently we are focusing on relief and rescue operations,” railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

Senior railway, district and police officials have rushed to the accident site for rescue and relief operations. As of writing this, a team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has also been dispatched along with a medical train from Lucknow.

Buses have been arranged to ferry the stranded passengers from the accident site to Kanpur Central Railway Station.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is personally monitoring the rescue operations. He has already ordered a thorough probe into the accident and said ex-gratia for the injured would be announced soon.

Following the accident, routes of at least 21 trains were diverted and Kanpur-New Delhi Shatabdi train has been cancelled.

Back in November, over 150 people were killed and 180 others were injured after 14 coaches of Patna-Indore Express derailed during the early hours in Kanpur Dehat district in one of the worst rail accidents in recent history.

Helpline numbers:

List of injured passengers:

Derailment of 12987 Sealdah-Ajmer Exp. at Rura station on Kanpur-Tundla
No Death reported,Injuries reported 44.list of injured following pic.twitter.com/UFaO8l0M5L

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) December 28, 2016

List of cancelled/diverted trains:

Spot visuals:

#SpotVisuals 15 coaches of Sealdah-Ajmer Express derailed between Rura-Metha near Kanpur. Rescue and relief ops underway pic.twitter.com/INlqV9MUXD

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 28, 2016

#SpotVisuals 15 coaches of Sealdah-Ajmer Express derailed between Rura-Metha near Kanpur. Rescue and relief ops underway pic.twitter.com/aFjIFn2sIu

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 28, 2016