160 dead in train disaster near Khanna
Sealdah Express rams into detached coaches of Frontier Mail
From A.S. Prashar
Tribune News Service

KHANNA, Nov 26 — More than 160 persons were killed and over 250 injured in one of the worst train disasters in Punjab in living memory which took place near here in the early hours of this morning.

The accident involved two trains — the Sealdah Express which originates from Jammu and the Frontier Mail coming from Delhi. The disaster took place around 3.25 a.m. when three bogies of the Frontier Mail got detached when the hook joining the 11th bogie with 12th bogie broke off due to a loose coupling and derailed blocking the railway track in front of the oncoming Sealdah Express. Both the superfast trains were at a speed of about 100 kmph. The Sealdah Express smashed into the derailed bogies with a massive force, killing and injuring the sleeping passengers in both the trains in hundreds.

The victims included men, women and children. The dead bodies and the injured have been sent to Khanna, Ludhiana, Samrala and Chandigarh.

The site of the accident lying between villages Kauri and Daudpur, about 5 km from Khanna, presented a ghastly sight. The impact of the crash was so great that the engine of the Sealdah Express was reduced to smithereens. The railway officials and the rescue workers were hard put to locating the parts of the railway engine. Seven bogies of the two trains — four of the Sealdah Express and three of the Frontier Mail — were smashed. All the casualties took place in these bogies.

The twisted wreckage of the bogies, mangled parts of human bodies, baggage of passengers strewn all around blocked the main trunk line on which all railway traffic has been suspended till further notice. Rescue workers, Red Cross volunteers, police personnel, jawans from the nearby Army units, RSS workers and residents from the surrounding villages and Khanna town and Ludhiana city were engaged in the rescue and relief efforts at the accident site.

The death toll was likely to rise because a large number of bodies could be seen trapped in the twisted remains of the bogies. There were cries for help from trapped passengers in the smashed bogies and the rescue workers were trying to reach them. But they were hampered in their work by lack of proper equipment. Cranes brought in from Ludhiana and a few other places were unable to lift the heavy parts of the smashed bogies. Oxy-acetylene equipment and LPG cylinders for cutting open the steel structure of the bogies were also rushed to Khanna from Ludhiana.

Traffic on the mainline Delhi-Ludhiana section has been suspended as both the up and down tracks have been blocked.

Ambala Division Senior Divisional Operating Manager (SDOM) Anurag told PTI here that all the trains have been diverted via Dhuri-Patiala and Dhuri-Jakhal routes. Since priority was to give assistance to the injured, restoration of traffic may take some time.

Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express, Jammu-Guwahati Lohit Express, Jammu-Pune Jhelum Express, Ludhiana-New Delhi Inter-City Express and other trains which left Amritsar and Jammu last night would run via Dhuri-Ambala section.

The Amritsar and Jammu bound trains including New Delhi-Amritsar Swarna Shatabdi Express, New Delhi-Amritsar Shane-Punjab and Indore-Jammu Malwa Express would run via Delhi-Jakhal-Ludhiana route.

The movement of various short distance local trains is expected to be curtailed or suspended due to rescheduling of long distance mail and express trains.

In the midst of the train wreckage, sat a dazed Ram Parvesh, a 15-year-old migrant labour from UP, who survived the accident but lost his father. He told TNS that they were on their way back to their village in Uttar Pradesh. They boarded the Sealdah Express at Ludhiana where he was undergoing sewing training in a factory. "We had not as yet settled down properly in our berth when the disaster struck. Our train had accelerated quickly and was at full speed when my compartment started swaying. Then there was a great thud, a screech of steel striking against steel and we were all plunged into darkness....The air rent with cries and moan of dying and wounded. It was a hellish experience."

Mr Abdul Hamid, one of the survivors of the crash, told TNS at the accident site that he along with his two brothers, had set out from Delhi last evening for Amritsar to buy blankets for distribution among the poor and the destitute. "I just cannot recall what happened... I was fast asleep. One of my brothers is dead". A large number of passengers in the Sealdah Express were returning home after a visit to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi at Katra, near Jammu.

Among the bodies recovered was that of a blood-splattered mother with her dead child still in her lap. A newly-married woman was extricated from the wreckage after her arm was amputated on the spot.

Eyewitnesses told a PTI correspondent at the accident site that a railway gateman lost no time in flashing a message to the Khanna railway station. But by then it was too late as the 3152 Jammu-Sealdah Express had already left Ludhiana and was speeding towards its disastrous tryst with the derailed train.

The guard and some passengers of the Frontier Mail were frantically assessing the situation when the Sealdah Express rammed into the three derailed bogies of the mail.

The collision sent the engine and seven bogies of the Sealdah Express and six more bogies of the Frontier Mail off the rails, the eyewitnesses said.

The impact lifted one of the bogies of the Sealdah Express and had it mount the one immediately in front trapping passengers.

Sealdah Express driver Subash Kumar lay dead in the cabin of the diesel engine. Overhead electric traction wires had also snapped due to the accident.

A PTI correspondent saw bleeding passengers, and currency notes, fruits and other eatables strewn all over amid the mangled bogies.

Though bleeding and shocked, some passengers were seen searching for their kith and kin.

Ajay Kumar Sharma, a ticket examiner in the air-conditioned (AC) coach of the Frontier Mail, told PTI that while no one in the coach was killed, some fell off their berths and received bleeding injuries.

He said the train came to a screeching halt after the bogies derailed. As cries and shrieks rent the air, shocked and panic-stricken passengers could not go even into the adjoining bogies as the vestibules had been closed for the night.

Mr Sharma said two coaches of the high-speed Sealdah Express were ripped apart in the impact of the collision.

After the derailment of the mail and subsequent collision with the Sealdah Express, doors of some of the coaches got jammed.

A railway police constable Gurtej Singh, who was on escort duty from Pathankot to Ambala in the Sealdah Express said that after derailment his bogie overturned twice before coming to rest about 50 metres from the track.

A Punjab police constable Sarpal Singh, who was on his way to Ambala, said his bogie too overturned twice but he narrowly escaped with his right hand injured.

A railway worker, Rudal, returning to his native place Abhay Nagar near Varanasi, who suffered minor injuries, said he was to travel by the Ludhiana-Dhanbad Kisan Express, but changed his mind and boarded the Sealdah Express.

He was, however, happy to have escaped with minor injuries.

Rly Minister orders probe, sabotage ruled out
Tribune News Service and agencies

KHANNA, Nov 26 — Mr Nitish Kumar, Union Railways Minister, flew in from Delhi along with the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to visit the site of the accident.

He said it to be an "accident in pure sense of the word". Both trains were running on time. According to one version, the three bogies of the Frontier Mail which got detached from the main train were still in motion, swaying from side to side, when the Sealdah Express, coming from the opposite direction, smashed into them, causing the disaster.

"We can't say at present what exactly happened", said Mr Nitish Kumar, "but I have been given this information by certain railway officials accompanying me". An inquiry had been ordered to establish the exact cause of the accident and suggest measures to prevent their reoccurrence.

When asked if the failure of the coupling which led to the detachment of the bogies of the ill-fated train was attributable to mechanical failure, or human fault, Mr Nitish Kumar pointed out that "there was no problem with the train till the bogies got detached...and as ill luck would have it, Sealdah Express came from the opposite direction at precisely that moment, causing the accident. Both trains were on time and were scheduled to cross each other at this spot". Asked if sabotage was ruled out, he said it was difficult to say anything with certainty at present.

He said an immediate ex-gratia grant of Rs 25,000 was being given to the next of kin of those killed in the accident while a grant between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 would be given to the injured, depending on the type of injury. Besides, a compensation of Rs 3.60 lakh would be given to the families of those killed in the accident.

The Union Minister said railway safety was an ongoing process with his ministry and it was doing its best to make rail travel safer, but if there were shortcomings, these would be looked into.

Later, Mr Nitish Kumar, Mr Badal and other Akali leaders visited those injured and admitted to hospitals in Ludhiana. Youth Congress workers, and several others rushed food to the accident site, donated blood at the local hospitals, made lists of those injured and informed their relatives.

The Punjab Governor, Lt Gen (retd.) B.K.N. Chhibber, speaking at Chandigarh expressed deep shock and grief over the colossal loss of life in the rail collision.

In a condolence message, the Governor expressed heart-felt sympathies with the bereaved families in this hour of crisis.

Meanwhile, the Governor, who is also the President of Indian Red Cross Society, Punjab, directed the Secretary, Red Cross Society, Mr A.S. Grewal, to immediately send relief teams to the accident site.

Ambulance vans from the neighbouring districts of Patiala, Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib were sent to the site with Red Cross-volunteers to co-ordinate relief measures.

Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who was accompanied by the SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and several other Akali leaders, told mediapersons at the accident site that the Punjab Government would give an ex-gratia grant of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of those killed, while the injured would be provided free medical treatment.

The Punjab Minister of State for Public Relations, Mr Sewa Singh Sekhwan, expressed shock and grief over the death of passengers in the train mishap.

In a press note issued from Amritsar, the minister said it was a sad incident in which many precious lives had been lost. He expressed his heart-felt condolences with members of the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, scientists gathered here for the Ninth National Symposium on Hydrology held a condolence meeting which was chaired by the Punjab Irrigation Special Secretary, Mr Bikramjit Singh, in memory of Dr S.B. Palaniappan, a senior scientist from the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, who was killed in the mishap along with his wife.

The Department of Punjab Irrigation decided to send a grant of Rs 21,000 to the next of kin of Dr Palaniappan.

Meanwhile, senior Akali leader G.S. Tohra, blamed the railway administration for the train disaster in which over 100 persons died.

Mr Tohra said that as per preliminary investigations, the three coaches of the Mumbai-Amritsar Frontier Mail derailed as a hook joining the two coaches broke off.

He alleged that this had happened due to the negligence of the railway staff responsible for the maintenance of the coaches.

He demanded adequate compensation for the dead and injured passengers.

The Akali Dal (Mann) President, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann demanded sacking of the Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar.

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Mann held the Railway Minister responsible for the accident. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee should also resign from the post, he added.

The former Youth Congress President, Mr M.S. Bitta, in a press note issued from Chandigarh, said Mr Nitish Kumar should resign.

He also demanded a CBI probe to ascertain the increasing number of railway accidents in the country.

The Punjab Police DGP, Mr P.C. Dogra, however, has ruled out sabotage in the accident.

Mr Dogra said the accident, as per preliminary investigations, was caused due to a mechanical failure.

He said that after the derailment of the bogies of the Amritsar-bound Frontier Mail, which was reported by a railway gateman, there was hardly any time to stop the Sealdah Express coming from Jammu, on the other track.

Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, Food and Supplies Minister, Punjab, has expressed grief and shock over the mishap.

While paying tributes to those killed, he expressed his sympathy with the affected families.

4 of family among dead
From Our Correspondent and PTI

KHANNA, Nov 26 — Four members of a family, including a couple from Aurangabad in Maharashtra, were among those killed in the train accident near here today.

They were Madhukar Rao Pathak and his wife, Durga, Ms Sindhu and Ms Shanta, according to officials here.

The dead identified so far include: Subash Kumar, Driver, Sealdah Express; Hazi Giasu Din, Darya Ganj, Delhi; Dasrath, Amritsar; Manju Sharma W/o Krishan Sharma, Baghpat (UP); Nirpal Singh, Gobind Puri, Delhi; Raghbir Singh, ITBP, Dehradun; Kishore Bahadur Thapa, JK Rif; Dipak Kumar, 10 JK; Salvel Cristo 603 EME C/o 56 APO.

Among those killed are: 1. Phool Chand Setia, Beri Gate, Saharanpur; 2. Renu (child), West Bengal; 3. Jesswal, Patna City; 4. Prem Lata, Triprie Nagar, Saharanpur; 5. Mohammad Gulzar, Harduna village Kupwara (J&K); 6. Subash Chander (driver), Saharanpur; 7. Joginder Singh, Shiv Nagar, Jalandhar; 8. Poonam Saini, Muzafarnagar, Barsoli; 9. Abdul Aziz, Jama Masjid, Delhi; 10. Giasudin, Jama Masjid, Delhi; 11. Daljit Singh, Ludhiana; 12. Shah Ali Azizpur village Gurdaspur district; 13. Mohamad Sail, Azizpur village, Gurdaspur district; 14. Narpal Singh, Gobindpuri Extension, Delhi; 15. Gursharan Singh, Panj Peer, Jalandhar; 16. Pawan Kumar (constable), Patiala; 17. Mona Sharma (12); 18. Manju Sharma; 19. Palia Nappan (Roorkee); 20. Sundarpal Sachdeva; 21. Poonam, Amritsar; 22. Satish (11 months); 23. Sindu W/o Madhukar, Aurangabad; 24. Madhukar, Aurangabad; 25. Durga, Aurangabad; 26. Shanti, Aurangabad; 27. Dasrath, Amritsar; 28. Manju Sharma, Baghpat; 29. Raghbir Singh, Dehra Dun; 30. Kishor Bahadar Thapa (Army); 31. Deepak Kumar (Army); 32. Saluin Cristo (Army); 33. Mohammad Rajak Snote village Poonch district; 34. Ashiva, Assistant Manager, UCO Bank, Mumbai Road, Bhopal; 35. Ashok, Saharanpur; 36. Dipal Vohra, Saharanpur; 37. Suman Vohra, Saharanpur; 38. Sher Singh, Jagadhari workshop; 39. Pushpa Devi, Ahmedabad; 40. Neelam Do Dastar, 23 Bn BSF, Madhopur; 41. Joginder Pal, Gaushala-5, Khanna; and 42. Lal Mohammad Gran Guganla, district Dhane.

A report from Khanna said the bodies of the victims of the train accident would be kept at A.S. College, Khanna, for identification.

The 73 bodies which had been extricated from the coaches of the Frontier Mail and the Sealdah Express were being brought to the college campus.