An aerial view of the site as the rescue operation is underway where the coaches of Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express derailed, in Gonda on July 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The death toll in the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailment in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda has risen to four, while 31 people were injured in the incident, an official said on July 19.

Eight coaches of the train had derailed between Motiganj and Jhilahi railway stations, about 150 km from the state capital, on the Gonda-Gorakhpur section of the Northeast Railway on Thursday afternoon.

Also read | Gonda train accident: SDRF, NDRF teams deployed for relief work

District Magistrate of Gonda, Neha Sharma, said, “So far, four passengers have died and 31 are injured. Of the injured, the condition of around half a dozen is critical. The deceased include Rahul, 38, Saroj Kumar Singh, 31, and two unknown passengers. The body of one of the unknown passengers was retrieved on Friday morning.”

“The bodies of the four have arrived at the district headquarters. Their post-mortem examination will be conducted after their relatives arrive,” Ms. Sharma said, adding orders have been given to conduct a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

The district magistrate said she was present at Mankapur Junction when a special train with 600 passengers of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express left for Assam on Thursday night, hours after the accident, according to an official statement.

The officer said she interacted with several passengers and none of them complained about any of their co-passengers missing. She also said that work to restore the railway track is going on, and that it will be completed soon. She reached the district hospital on Friday morning and met the injured admitted there. She directed the chief medical superintendent of the hospital to provide proper treatment and care to the injured. Ms. Sharma also asked the chief medical officer and the district to take special care of the lone passengers injured in the train.

Speaking to reporters at the hospital, she said two of the critically injured passengers are undergoing treatment at Lucknow’s trauma centre while four patients each are admitted to the district hospital and the railway’s empanelled hospital.

A railway official said a high-level investigation has begun to ascertain the cause behind the derailment. The railway technical team, which reached the spot late last night, collected samples from the accident site and took photographs. Meanwhile, the railway administration is trying to restore traffic by removing the damaged coaches from the track.

A railway official said the restoration work was carried out through the night using light from a generator. A team of about 800 railway employees has been engaged in the repair work since Friday morning, he added.

General Manager of Northeast Railway Saumya Mathur is present at the spot and monitoring the situation, officials said.

The damaged coaches have been separated using a gas cutter while the work of straightening and removing the overturned coaches using JCB and crane is underway. Efforts are also being made to to lay the rail track that was completely uprooted in the accident, they said. The Gonda-Gorakhpur rail section is a fully electrified line. Electric poles and electric wires were completely destroyed in the accident, and work is underway to re-install them, officials said.

Ms. Mathur said, “Our effort is to ensure that the down line is restored at the earliest. The upline was restored for diesel (locomotives) last night itself.” The railway ministry on Thursday said a high-level inquiry has been ordered, apart from the probe by the Commission of Railway Safety.

The ministry had also said an enhanced ex-gratia amount of ₹10 lakh will be given to the relatives of those killed. The grievously injured passengers will get ₹2.5 lakh and those with minor injuries ₹50,000.

Several coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh express train derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda today. Four passengers died in the incident while around 20 are injured. Twelve coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh express train derailed, out of which, four AC coaches overturned. A rescue team has reached for relief operations.

The accident happened in Pikaura which is located between Gonda and Jhilahi in Uttar Pradesh. Gonda District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police have reached the accident site. 

Several trains have been diverted due to the accident. 

Here are live updates of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Accident in UP:

People At UP Accident Site Are Being Evacuated Through Buses

Rescue Teams Reach UP Train Accident Site

UP Train Derailment Live Updates:
2 trains cancelled and route of 11 trains diverted. 

UP Train Derailment Live Updates:

In regard with the derailment of 15904 Dibrugarh Express in Lucknow division of North Eastern Railways, the helpline numbers are issued.

– Commercial Control : 9957555984

– Furkating (FKG): 9957555966

– Mariani (MXN): 6001882410

– Simalguri (SLGR): 8789543798

– Tinsukia (NTSK): 9957555959

– Dibrugarh (DBRG): 9957555960

“Very Sad News Of Several Deaths Due To Train Accident In Gonda Received”: UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya

जनपद गोंडा में चंडीगढ़-डिब्रूगढ़ एक्सप्रेस के कुछ डिब्बे पटरी से उतरने से हुए हादसे में कई लोगों के निधन होने की अत्यंत दुःखद सूचना प्राप्त हुई है।

ईश्वर से प्रार्थना है कि हादसे में घायलों को जल्द से जल्द स्वास्थ्य लाभ प्रदान करें और दिवंगत आत्माओं को अपने श्रीचरणों में स्थान…

– Keshav Prasad Maurya (@kpmaurya1) July 18, 2024

InPics: UP Train Accident

Helpline Numbers Issued In Lucknow, Gonda After UP Train Accident

Helpline numbers have been issued after the derailment of 15904 Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express on the down line between Motiganj-Jhilahi stations on Barabanki-Gorakhpur railway section of North Eastern Railway-

Lucknow- 8957409292

Gonda- 8957400965

5 Ambulances Deployed For Rescue Operations, Doctor’s Team Present On The Spot

– गोंडा में हुआ दुखद ट्रेन हादसा
माननीय मुख्यमंत्री जी के निर्देश पर @rahat_up द्वारा लखनऊ और बलरामपुर से गोंडा के लिए रवाना की एनडीआरएफ की एक एक टीम।

– ट्रेन हादसे में राहत बचाव कार्यों में लगाई गई 5 एंबुलेंस वहीं और एंबुलेंस को मौके पर भेजे जाने हेतु आदेश दे दिया गया है

-…

– Rahat UP (@rahat_up) July 18, 2024

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Takes Cognizance Of Gonda Train Accident

#UPCM@myogiadityanath ने जनपद गोंडा में ट्रेन हादसे का संज्ञान लेते हुए जिला प्रशासन के अधिकारियों को मौके पर पहुंचकर राहत कार्य में तेजी लाने के निर्देश दिए हैं।

मुख्यमंत्री जी ने अधिकारियों को घायलों को तत्काल अस्पताल पहुंचाकर उनके समुचित उपचार के निर्देश दिए हैं। साथ ही,…

– CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) July 18, 2024

“Narrow Escape,” Says Passenger Standing Beside 4 Derailed Coaches

A passenger who survived the derailment of four coaches of a passenger train in Uttar Pradesh today posted a video in which he is heard saying he escaped the accident narrowly.

Four coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed in UP’s Gonda district, killing a passenger. Two others were injured.

The survivor, standing beside the four air-conditioned coaches that have come off the tracks, said in the video: “I escaped narrowly. Please don’t worry about me. I am safe.” Read more.