2017 Khatauli train derailment

On 19 August 2017, the Kalinga Utkal Express train derailed near Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India causing fatalities:[1] 23 people were killed and 156 others were injured.[2] This accident was the fourth major passenger train derailment in 2017 and the third in Uttar Pradesh.[3]

Khatauli train derailment
Details
Date19 August 2017
around 5:45 pm (IST)
LocationKhatauli, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh
Coordinates29.276°N 77.731°E / 29.276; 77.731
CountryIndia
Incident typeDerailment
Statistics
Trains1
Deaths23
Injured156

Accident

On 19 August 2017, around 5:45 pm (IST), 14 of the 23 coaches of the Kalinga Utkal Express derailed near Khatauli in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The train was heading from Puri in Odisha to Haridwar in Uttarakhand.[4][5][6] The accident occurred because the Haridwar-bound train sped along track that was undergoing repair without being warned beforehand.

Twenty-three people were killed in the accident, according to the Uttar Pradesh police.[7] According to Uttar Pradesh's Minister of Industrial Development Satish Mahana, 174 injured were admitted to different hospitals.[8]

Aftermath

Media footage showed coaches mounted on top of one another, while one carriage crashed into a house beside the track.[4] National Disaster Response Force personnel rushed to the scene to join the rescue operation.[9] Rescuers used metal cutters and cranes to reach inside the damaged coaches.[10]

According to the Indian railway ministry, three trains were cancelled and six were diverted following the accident. The 14521/14522 Ambala-Delhi-Ambala Intercity Express, 18478 Haridwar-Puri Utkal Kalinga Express and the 14682 Jalandhar-New Delhi Intercity Express were cancelled. Meanwhile, the railways also issued some helpline numbers.[11]

Response

India's Railways minister Suresh Prabhu announced an ex-gratia of ₨ 3.5 lakh each to the next of kin of those who lost their lives and ₨ 50,000 each for seriously injured passengers. He further announced ₨ 25,000 for passengers with minor injuries.[9]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the accident in a series of tweets. He further said, "My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. I wish those injured a speedy recovery. The situation is being monitored very closely by the Railways Ministry. Railways Ministry & UP Government are doing everything possible & providing all assistance required in the wake of the train derailment."[12]

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said, "Sad at train derailment in UP; my thoughts are with deceased & their families. Injured are being rescued & provided relief."[12]

See also

References
  1. "Train derails in Uttar Pradesh, more than 20 killed". Al Jazeera. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  2. "Desperate search to find survivors as train crash in India kills 23 and injures 156". The Telegraph. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  3. "At least 20 dead after Indian train derails in Uttar Pradesh". The Guardian. Reuters. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  4. Dilshad, Mohammed (20 August 2017). "At Least 23 Killed, 72 Injured As Utkal Express Derails in UP's Muzaffarnagar". NDTV. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  5. "Train derails in Uttar Pradesh, at least 14 killed: local official". Reuters. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  6. "23 dead as train derails in northern India". Anadolu Agency. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  7. "Train derails in UP's Muzaffarnagar". The Times of India. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  8. Bharadwaj, Vashistha (20 August 2017). "Utkal Express derails in Muzaffarnagar Highlights: Death toll rises to 23, railway tracks found broken, Cong targets PM Modi over accident". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  9. "14 coaches of Kalinga Utkal Express derail in Muzaffarnagar; 23 dead, scores injured". The Economic Times. Indo-Asian News Service. 19 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  10. "Train derails in northern India killing at least 23". The Telegraph. Agence France-Presse. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  11. "Utkal Express derailment: 3 trains cancelled, 6 diverted". Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  12. "Muzaffarnagar train accident: At least 23 killed as 14 coaches of Utkal Express derail". Indian Express. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
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