Vasco Da Gama-Patna Express Derailment Leaves 3 Dead, 9 Injured

At least three people were dead and nine left injured after 13 coaches of the Vasco Da Gama-Patna express jumped the rails near Manikpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh today.

Confirming the casualties, Chitrakoot Superintendent of Police Pratap Gopendra Singh said a father-son duo from Bettiah district of Bihar died on the spot, while a third person died at the hospital.

“Of those injured, two were serious and admitted to district hospital, Chitrakoot. Seven with minor injuries are being treated at Manikpur,” Singh said.

The Patna-bound Vasco Da Gama Express (12741) derailed at 4:18 am, soon after leaving platform number 2 of the Manikpur railway station in Chitrakoot district, about 250 km from Lucknow, he said.

Prima facie, it appears that fractured railway track is the cause of accident as per local assessment, said Assistant Director General (Law and Order) Anand Kumar.

Providing a breakup of the derailed coaches, North Central Railway Public Relations Officer Amit Malviya said that the coaches which jumped off the rails were S3-S11, two general coaches and two extra coaches.

He added that soon after the accident, a medical train reached the spot and by 5:20 am, an accident relief train was dispatched for the spot.

The Divisional Railway Manager, Allahabad has already reached the spot, while the General Manager, national capital region is on his way, he said. In the aftermath of the derailment, movement of trains was disrupted on the Patna-Allahabad route.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to kin of dead, and Rs 1 lakh for those with grievous injuries. The train derailment in Chitrakoot comes less than 12 hours after a bolero had collided with a passenger train near Lucknow killing four and injuring two.