KANPUR:
At least 120 people were killed and more than 100 injured as 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express ran off the tracks near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday morning.
The incident took place at around 3 am near Pukhrayan, about 100 km from Kanpur, at a time when most of the passengers were asleep. Television images showed several severely mangled coaches piled up aga
inst each other.
Northern Central Railways spokesperson Vijay Kumar said that doctors and senior railway officials reached the spot soon after the accident and rescue operations were underway. The cause of the accident was not known immediately.
Several coaches of the train were severely mangled. Heavy machinery including gas cutters were being used to rescue trapped passengers.
Most of the casualties are reported from two coaches which are severely damaged. Stranded passengers were being taken to a nearby station from where a special train will eventually take them to Patna.
Services were disrupted and several trains on the route were cancelled due to the accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu who was monitoring the situation closely.
