Three dead as express derails in U.P.

The Patna-bound train derailed at 4:18 a.m. near Manikpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh.

A derailed coach of Patna-bound express train near near Manikpur railway station in Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh.

Three persons died and nine were injured after the Vasco Da Gama-Patna Express derailed at Chitrakoot in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh early on Friday.

The train (12741) coming from Goa derailed near the starter signal at the Manikpur station, 120 km from Allahabad, as it was exiting platform two roughly at 4.15 a.m., officials said.

“A total of 14 bogies went off the track,” said Gaurav Kumar Bansal, Chief Public Relations officer of North-Central Railways.

The derailed bogies included two AC coaches and sleeper coaches from S-2 to S-11. One bogie had “half-tilted” in the derailment, a police spokesperson said.

Inquiry ordered

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Twitter that “an inquiry” had been ordered.

Uttar Pradesh Additional Director-General (Law and Order) Anand Kumar said prima facie the cause of the derailment appeared to be a fractured track, reported an agency.

Two of the dead were identified as six-year-old Golu Kumar and his father, Deepak Patel (30), residents of Bettiah in Bihar. They died on the spot.

The third victim was later identified as Manoj Singh (25) of Chhapra, also from Bihar.

One among the nine injured was in a serious condition and receiving treatment at the primary health centre in Manikpur.

Adityanath announces compensation

Three other injured, including a 24-year-old woman, Rinki Kumari, a resident of Goa, were admitted to the district hospital in Chitrakoot.

The Ministry of Railways announced an ex gratia compensation of ₹5 lakh to the kin of the dead, ₹1 lakh to those with grievous injuries and ₹50,000 to the other injured.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced ex gratia compensation of ₹2 lakh, ₹50,000 and ₹25,000 in the same order.

The stranded passengers were accommodated in the front eight coaches by 7.25 a.m., the NCR said.

The unaffected portion consisting of seven bogies took the passengers to Allahabad, where they were picked up by a special train and taken to Patna.

A team of the Anti-Terror Squad also reached the site to probe possibilities of sabotage.

In an unrelated incident, four persons died on the spot after the SUV they were travelling in was hit by the Lucknow-Sultanpur train at an unmanned crossing under Musafirkhana area on Thursday night.

The car was carrying six passengers, who were all members of a marriage party.