Utkal Express mishap: Know how the derailment took place

IANS photo

Lucknow: At least 23 people were killed and over 50 others were injured after 14 coaches of Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express derailed in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening. 

At around 5.45 pm on Saturday, 14 coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express bound for Haridwar derailed in Khatauli in Meerut-Saharanpur Division. The impact of the accident was so severe that one of the coaches could be seen mounted on another while another coach had crashed into a building along the tracks.

According to sources, the derailment took place after sudden brakes were applied on the speeding train by the train driver after he noticed some repair work going on the tracks that led to the derailment of at least 14 coaches. 

"There was some work on the tracks, but no flagging was done," Hindustan Times quoted Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar as saying. 

According to another report, the mishap is also seen as a sabotage against the Uttar Pradesh government.

However, an official confirmation on the matter remains awaited.