Two people were killed and at least 20 injured when 18 coaches of the Mumbai-Howrah Mail derailed in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district early on Tuesday. The railways announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for the kin of each deceased, Rs 5 lakh for those with major injuries, Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
According to the railway CPRO, rescue and relief operations have been completed. The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Phatepani and Seraikela.
Officials said the accident took place at 3.45 am near Barabamboo, around 80 km from Jamshedpur, under the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway (SER). The passenger train approaching from the other side of the line collided with a derailed goods train, said a local administration official.
An SER spokesperson, Om Prakash Charan, said out of the 18 derailed coaches, 16 are passenger coaches, one power car and one pantry car.
Officials further said 80 per cent passengers have been sent to Chakradharpur station by bus and a rescue train has also reached the site to clear the rest of the passengers.
The SER cancelled a few express and passenger trains owing to the accident. These are the 22861 Howrah-Titlagarh-Kantabanji Express, 08015/18019 Kharagpur-Jhargram-Dhanbad Express, 12021/12022 Howrah-Barbil-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express, 18109 Tatanagar-Itwari Express and 18030 Shalimar-LTT Express.
Some other trains will be short-terminated or diverted, an official said. They are 18114 Bilaspur-Tatanagar Express which will be short terminated at Rourkela, 18190 Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express at Chakradharpur, 18011 Howrah-Chakradharpur Express at Adra and 18110 Itwari-Tatanagar Express at Bilaspur.
The SER has opened helpline numbers for passengers:
Howrah: 9433357920/03326382217
Shalimar: 6295531471/7595074427
Kharagpur: 03222293764
Ranchi: 06512787115
Tatanagar: 06572290324
Chakradharpur: 06587238072
Rourkela: 06612501072/06612500244
Jharsuguda: 06645-272530
Mumbai CSMT: 02222694040
Dadar: 9136452387
Kalyan: 8356848078
Thane: 9321336747
Nagpur: 7757912790
Bhusawal: 08799982712
CSMT Helpline Auto: 55993
P&T: 02222694040
