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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been briefed about the accident and authorities are monitoring the situation.
Four people are reported dead while many others are injured on Thursday (July 18) after several coaches of an express train derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda, about 650 km east of New Delhi. The derailment of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express reportedly took place in Pikaura, a town between Gonda and Jhilahi in Uttar Pradesh.
The search and rescue operation was going on at the time of filing this report. Another rescue team was en route for the operations. Several people are injured and visuals on social media show passengers standing on the sides of the track with their luggage. The Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express was heading to Dibrugarh, Assam, from Chandigarh.
Out of the 12 coaches, four coaches of the AC compartment derailed a few kilometres before the Jhilahi railway station. According to railways officials cited by The Indian Express, the derailment took place at around 2.35 pm (IST) in Gonda district.
The reason behind the accident is yet to be known.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been briefed about the accident and authorities are monitoring the situation.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanatah has ordered officials to reach the accident site immediately and has directed authorities to expedite the relief operations.
The railway medical team has reached the site and the North Eastern Railways has issued helpline numbers:
– Commercial Control: 9957555984
– Furkating (FKG): 9957555966
– Mariani (MXN): 6001882410
– Simalguri (SLGR): 8789543798
– Tinsukia (NTSK): 9957555959
– Dibrugarh (DBRG): 9957555960
One disaster management team each has been sent from Lucknow and Balrampur to the accident site in Gonda, according to UP Relief Commissioner GS Naveen Kumar. Five ambulances have also been deployed for rescue operations.
Rescue personnel are shifting the injured to hospital, the official said.
“First aid is being given to the injured. The injured are being shifted to the hospital. SDRF teams sent from three districts to expedite relief operations,” Kumar was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
This is a developing story. More information will be added soon.
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Mukul Sharma
Mukul Sharma is a New Delhi-based multimedia journalist covering geopolitical developments in and beyond the Indian subcontinent. Deeply interested in the affairs re