8 dead, 14 injured as passenger train 'jumps' red signal, collides with goods train in Chhattisgarh
Bilaspur (PTI): At least eight persons, including the loco pilot, were killed and 14 others injured after a passenger train allegedly jumped a red signal and collided with a goods train from behind near Bilaspur station in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, officials said.
The incident took place around 4 pm when the MEMU (mainline electric multiple unit) passenger train was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra (in neighbouring Korba district), they said.
The impact of the collision was so severe that a coach of the passenger train ended up on top of a wagon of the cargo train, the railway officials said, adding that two to three persons are still feared trapped in the wreckage.
When the passenger train was between Gatora and Bilaspur railway stations on the Howrah-Mumbai rail route section, it rammed into a goods train from behind, according to them.
The spot is a few kilometres away from Bilaspur city, which houses the headquarters of South Eastern Central Railway (SECR) zone.
"So far, eight deaths have been confirmed in the accident. Two to three others are still feared trapped inside the wreckage and efforts are on to evacuate them," Bilaspur Collector Sanjay Agrawal told PTI.
Gas cutters are being used to cut the coach, he said.
The injured passengers have been shifted to Apollo Hospital and Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) hospital in Bilaspur. The condition of one of them is said to be critical, he added.
"The passenger train hit the goods train from behind at a speed of 60 to 70 kmph after overshooting a red signal," a senior railway official said.
"It is now a matter of investigation as to why the loco pilot jumped the red signal and failed to apply the emergency brake in time, even though the goods train was within visible distance," the official said.
Loco pilot of the passenger train, Vidya Sagar, was killed in the accident and assistant loco pilot Rashmi Raj, a female, sustained serious injuries.
He added that the passenger train rammed into the brake van with such a force that it was mangled badly.
The train manager (guard) of the goods train jumped out of the brake van - the last coach of the goods train - at the last moment and sustained minor injuries, the official added.
Both the injured railway personnel have been hospitalised, they added.
The railway authorities have mobilised all resources at the spot, and required measures are being taken for the treatment of the injured persons, the officials said.
As per the visuals, the collision resulted in a coach of the passenger train getting mounted onto a wagon of the goods train.
The railway authorities announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to kin of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh to the seriously injured persons, while those who sustained minor injuries will receive Rs 1 lakh assistance, an official statement said.
A detailed inquiry into the incident will be conducted at the level of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) to ascertain the cause and recommend necessary corrective measures, it said.
Relief and rescue operations have been launched on a war footing by the railway administration. Senior officials have rushed to the site to monitor the situation, and the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment, it said.
The railway authorities are providing all possible assistance and coordination to the affected passengers.
Helpline numbers have been issued for the convenience of passengers and their families, it added.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.
Sai has expressed profound grief over the tragic train accident near Bilaspur, calling it an extremely painful and distressing incident, an official statement said.
The CM said that teams from the district administration and the Railways are working on the ground with full dedication in the rescue and relief efforts. All necessary medical facilities and resources are being made available for the treatment of the injured.
He said that the State Government has been keeping a close watch on the situation with full sensitivity and vigilance and is taking every necessary step to assist those affected.
Speaking to the media, an injured woman passenger said the train was running when it suddenly rammed into the goods train.
"Before I could understand what happened, people started screaming and shouting for help," she recalled.
The woman, who was travelling to Bilaspur from Akaltara town in neighbouring Janjgir-Champa district, said she was in the coach that climbed onto the goods train due to the impact.
"After the collision, my leg got trapped under the seat. I was rescued by the responders and first taken to the railway hospital before being referred to another hospital," she said.
Lying on the hospital bed, she added that her leg suffered a fracture in the accident.
According to some local residents, the loud sound of the collision propelled the nearby villagers to rush to the spot and launch an immediate rescue operation.
The accident disrupted train operations on the route. Many trains running on the Howrah-Mumbai section were rescheduled.
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu and BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik visited CIMS hospital to meet the injured.
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Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
