Twelve people were killed and 45 injured in a collision between two passenger trains near here in Uttar Pradesh last night, prompting the government to promise an action plan to improve safety.
The Maduadeeh-Lucknow Krishak Express hit Lucknow-Barauni Express from the side while it was on the loop line at Nandanagar railway crossing, about seven kilometers from here, at around 11 PM, Chief Public Relation Officer of North- Eastern Railway Alok Kumar Singh told PTI today.
Three coaches of Barauni Express were badly damaged in the collision.
Twelve passengers died in the accident and 45 were injured, 12 of them seriously, Singh said.
He said the Loco pilot of Krishak Express Ram Bahadur and assistant Loco pilot Satyajeet have been suspended for allegedly overshooting the signal.
"Prima facie it appears the Krishak Express was supposed to stop, but it overshot the signal," he said. The train was going towards Lucknow while Barauni express was coming from the state capital.
"An inquiry has been ordered by the railway under Commissioner Rail Safety P K Bajpai to ascertain the cause of the incident," another spokesman Anil Saxena said.
Movement of trains on Gorakhpur-Varanasi track was disrupted following the incident and few trains were diverted.
Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda, who visited the accident site, said an action plan will be prepared to ensure safety of passengers and for this advanced techniques will have to be used.
"It is a sad incident. There is a need to review railway safety and security," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while expressing grief at the loss of lives, announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the accident.
