Rescue Operations Conclude After Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derailment; Special Train Departs For Assam

Rescue operations have concluded at the site near Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, where eight coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express train derailed. A special train carrying 600 passengers has departed for Assam. The derailment, which occurred between Motiganj and Jhilahi railway stations on Thursday, resulted in at least four fatalities and over 30 injuries.

Following the derailment, ambulances and medical teams were dispatched to the scene despite initial hindrances caused by bad weather.

The driver reported hearing a "sound of a blast" before the derailment, according to an official cited by news agency PTI. Furthermore, the victims identified include Saroj Kumar Singh (31) from Araria, Bihar, and Rahul (38) from Chandigarh, while the other two remain unidentified.

Key Points on Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derailment

- A special train with 600 passengers from the derailed Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express has departed from Mankapur, Uttar Pradesh, heading to Assam.

- The central government has announced ex-gratia compensation: Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh for those with grievous injuries, and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

- The Railways Ministry has launched a high-level investigation into the derailment. Pankaj Singh, Chief Public Relations Officer of North Eastern Railway, confirmed that the probe will include verifying the driver's claim of a minor explosion before the derailment. A commissioner of railway safety has also been assigned to investigate.

- In response to the incident, the Congress has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to accept responsibility for the "significant lapses" and urged the rapid installation of the Kavach anti-collision system on all railway routes.

- Passengers escaped through emergency windows and doors of the sleeper coaches, while those in AC coaches broke window panes to rescue the injured or trapped. They had to navigate knee-deep water in the fields beside the tracks to reach the nearby approach road.