Utkal Express Derailment Due to Ongoing Repair Work, Claims UP Prin Secy; ATS Calls it ‘Human Error’

Principal Secretary (home) Arvind Kumar blamed the lackadaisical attitude of repair workers for the tragic incident, saying that flags were not raised by them which forced the train driver to apply sudden brakes.

Updated: August 20, 2017 12:28 AM IST

By India.com News Desk

Utkal Express Derailment Due to Ongoing Repair Work, Claims UP Prin Secy; ATS Calls it 'Human Error'
Visuals from accident site in Muzaffarnagar (image:PTI)

Muzaffarnagar, Aug 19: The Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailed on Friday near Muzaffarnagar, causing the death of at least 23 passengers and leaving more than 60 injured. Hours following the accident, the Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary said the derailment occurred due to the ongoing repair works.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team, headed by DSP Anup Singh, called the incident a “human error” after taking stock of the situation. However, the police department did not officially rule out the sabotage angle yet.

Principal Secretary (home) Arvind Kumar blamed the lackadaisical attitude of repair workers for the tragic incident. While speaking to reporters, he said the workers had failed to raise flags, which prompted the driver to apply sudden brakes leading to the derailment.

Reports claim nearly 15 metres of the track had been taken off by by labourers near Khatauli as part of the ongoing repair work. They had initiated the replacement process when the Utkal Express arrived. The driver was reportedly uninformed.

“There was some work on the tracks, but no flagging was done,” the Principal Secretary was quoted as saying by HT. His remarks came in the backdrop of Railways announcing a thorough investigation in the matter, assuring “strict action” against all those responsible for the lapse.

Opposition, however, pitched up attacks against the Centre. Citing the five major derailment cases earlier in the year, Congress sought an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter. “Since Modi Govt took over in May 2014, 259 passengers have lost their lives and 899 injured in 27 train accidents. When will Govt wake up?” said party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

RJD supremo and former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav sought the resignation of Suresh Prabhu. “This is not the first accident this year. The Railways are now turning unsafe. How will the common man travel now? Government needs to show accountability and the Railway Minister needs to submit his resignation,” he told ANI.

Helpline numbers issued by Railways

Railways have issued helpline numbers: 9760534045/5101 94106 09434, 0121-2604977, 94544 55183, 9410609434, 0121-2604977.

‘All injured passengers evacuated’

Suresh Prabhu said later on Friday that all injured passengers have been evacuated from the bogies. The victims have been rushed to the six nearby hospitals in Muzaffarnagar city.

“All injured shifted to hospital. Restoration work will start now. Still monitoring situation closely,” he said.

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