20 Killed, Over 100 Injured As Kalka Mail Derails In UP

At least 20 people have been killed and over 100 injured in Delhi-bound Kalk Mail, 13 bogies derailed near the Howrah station in Malwa.

The accident happened this afternoon in eastern Malwa station cabin, about 120 km from state capital Lucknow.

"Twenty bodies are back ... it is not surprising if more than 50 people killed as many bodies are still trapped in the distorted condition of the coaches," General Directorate of Police Brij Lal said the special.

He said the buses were cut with gas cutters and more than 200 police officers were carrying out rescue operations.

Lal said the Chief Inspector Javed Akhtar was the supervision of the facility, but the head of the Railway Board in Delhi Vinay Mittal was on his way.

The army was also moving about 120 soldiers to adjoining Allahabad and Kanpur for rescue operations after the army chief told the Chairman Railway Board.

Derailed coaches including AC coaches, four, five sleeper coaches and two general bogies.

"13 bogies of the Delhi-Howrah train to be derailed, 10 of which are in very poor condition. The exact cause of the derailment is not yet possible to determine, because we are busy in rescue operations," managing director of North Central Railway HC Joshi said.

He said that high-level probe ordered into the incident.

Save two trains - one each in Kanpur and Allahabad - have rushed to the spot where the gas cutters and other equipment used in the pull out trapped passengers.

More than 100 people are believed to be trapped in the coaches and the efforts to rescue them, said railway officials.

The train was bound for the cup, and drove 105 km an hour when it went to the train station in Malwa Fatehpur district, about 150 km from here.

According to a senior development manager of North Central Railway Pradeep Ojha: "Relief efforts are in full swing and people are engaged in gas welding cutting AC coaches to bring out the survivors."

Minister of State for Railways Mukul Roy announced Rs five lakh ex-gratia to the next kin of the dead, Rs one lakh to those who sustained serious injuries and Rs 25,000 victims who have suffered minor injuries.

The accident has disrupted rail traffic on Delhi-Howrah main.