Rohtak (Haryana): AT least twenty-six people were reported injured when eight coaches of the Punjab Mail derailed at Sampla in Haryana’s Rohtak district early Sunday.
The derailment occurred around 4 a.m., railway officials said.
The injured were admitted to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, 70 km from New Delhi. The injured included seven women and 19 men, a PGIMS spokesman said.
Railway and local police officials said passengers had a miraculous escape and not deaths were reported despite the derailment of bogies.
The train was going from Ferozepur in Punjab to Mumbai and the accident affcted traffic on the Rohtak-Delhi section. Some of the derailed coaches had fallen on the adjoining track, affecting train traffic on both sides.
“Nearly 300 metres of railway track has been uprooted at the accident site. Investigations are on into the cause of the accident,” Inspector General-Railways V. Kamraja said.
Railway officials said five of the eight derailed coaches had overturned after derailment. The eight derailed bogies included six second-class sleeper (S-5 to S-10) compartments, a luggage coach and a guard coach.
“Most of the passengers in the derailed coaches were sleeping when the accident took place,” said a police official at the spot.
“The control room got a call from a passenger and police reached the spot. The railway authorities are looking into the cause of the accident,” Haryana’s Inspector General Alok Mittal said at the site.
“We are trying to ascertain whether the railway track broke due to the accident or whether the broken track led to the accident,” a railway official at the accident site said.
Railway officials have ordered a probe into the accident.
Efforts are being made to clear the track and restore rail traffic.
There were a total of 28 coaches in the Mumbai-bound train.
Railway officials said the coaches towards the end of the train derailed.
A few hours after the accident, the train was allowed to resume its journey to Mumbai.
“The accident took place early Sunday. Otherwise, hundreds of people from Rohtak, Hisar and Bhiwani districts travel to Delhi for work and business every morning. Traffic on the track should be restored by evening,” a railways official said.
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