Utkal Express derailment: Driver didn't know track was under maintenance
The death toll in the Utkal Express derailment has reached 23; another 70-100 are injured. Reports have now emerged that the cause of the mishap was a human error: "unofficial" maintenance was underway on the tracks, so there were no signals and the driver was unaware. Generally, speed limit during track maintenance is 10-15 kmph; yesterday the train was moving at 106 kmph.
At the site, rescue teams and sniffer dogs
After 14 coaches of the Puri-Haridwar train derailed at Khatauli (UP) at around 5:45pm, it has been a grim time for everyone. Teams of UP Provincial Armed Constabulary, NDRF, ATS and sniffer dogs swarmed the site. About 100 ambulances were in service. Rescue was concluded at night. Railways has announced Rs. 3.5L compensation for kin of the deceased. Odisha and UP governments have also offered compensation.
'Coaches were flying in the air, people were screaming'
Witnesses recount horror scenes. Most locals were busy with their chores when they heard a sound like a bomb blast. Next they saw coaches flying in the air and heard desperate cries for help. Some coaches hit the houses; blood was splattered on the walls. Many reported some locals had also been crushed. "We tried to help in whatever way we could," they said.
Railway traffic hit: Many trains diverted, cancelled
Meanwhile, at least nine trains have been diverted from the Meerut line and three cancelled. Officials say traffic is expected to be restored by 7 pm today.
Still no official confirmation of the cause of the tragedy
There's still not much clarity about what caused the accident: some locals said repair was underway since two days, while others said they were on for 10 days. Apparently, two other trains that had passed through the site before had slowed down, but this hadn't. Sabotage has been ruled out for now. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered a high-level probe.
