Indore-Patna Express derailment: 8 deceased from MP

Bhopal: Out of the 29 deceased identified so far in the Indore-Patna Express derailment in the wee hours on Sunday in Kanpur, eight hail from Madhya Pradesh, railway authorities here said.

One of the deceased has been identified as Jitesh Maurya (26) from Awadpuri locality in the state capital, Bhopal Division of West Central Railways (WCR) Public Relations Officer IA Siddique told PTI.

He said the other seven deceased hailing from MP include four from Indore, two from Gwalior and one from Ujjain.

In the worst rail accident in recent years, over 110 passengers have been killed and more than 200 injured, nearly half of them grievously, when 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed near Pukhrayan in Kanpur district due to suspected rail fracture (crack in the track which occurs due to cold).

The derailment took place just a little after 0300 hrs when the passengers were deep asleep and jolted as the train jumped off the tracks.

Four sleeper coaches of the train - S1, S2, S3, S4- were badly damaged in the mishap. The S1 and S2 coaches had squeezed into one another and most of the casualties were feared to have been from these two compartments.