The Ministry of Railways has ordered an inquiry into the derailment of the Jodhpur-Delhi Mandore Express near Jaipur in the wee hours of Saturday.
According to Ministry officials, Commissioner of Railway Safety, Prashant Kumar, has been asked to inquire into the mishap.
They also said that Railway Minister, Mamta Banerjee has asked Minister of State for Railways, E. Ahmed to visit the accident site. Member (Engineering) of the Railway Board, Rakesh Chopra has already reached the site along with senior railway officers.
The Railways has also announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the next of kin of each of the dead, Rs. 1 lakh each to the seriously injured and Rs. 10,000 each to those sustaining minor injuries.
Meanwhile, according to reports from Jaipur, the northwestern Railways and the police are trying to ascertain whether it was a case of sabotage as the mishap occurred after a phone call that a bomb was planted in the Jammu Tawi-bound Puja Express turned out to be a hoax.
The call reportedly was made to the Dausa Railway Station a little before the departure of the Puja Express from Jaipur. After extensive search, including frisking of passengers, it was found to be a hoax. The call was traced to a 13-year old boy in Dausa, who claimed that it was a mere prank.
