Kalka Mail train mishap in Fatehpur death toll rises to 66

11June2011:Delhi Bound Kalka Mail derailed at Malwan station in Fatehpur District of Uttar Pradesh. Army and Air Force have been pressed into service. According to Air force spokesperson seven aircrafts have joined the relief and rescue work.
About 60 trains have been diverted and 28 cancelled so far.Fifteen coaches were derailed and ten of them were badly damage.The seriously injured passengers have been airlifted to Kanpur hospitals by air force helicopters. A national disaster relief forces are part of rescue operations. The Railway authorities are still not clear about the exact reason of the accident.Toll in Sunday's derailment of Delhi-bound Kalka Mail in Fatehpur rose to 66 on Monday with rescuers pulling out 25 more bodies, including that of a Swedish national, from the mangled compartments of the ill- fated train.Fatehpur Superintendent of Police Ram Bharose said 250 people were injured in the incident and that they were undergoing treatment at various hospitals in this district in Uttar Pradesh and in Kanpur."63 bodies, including that of a Swedish national, have been recovered so far. About 250 are undergoing treatment at a hospital here," he said.Bharose said the deceased Swedish national has been identified as Wick from the statement of his injured compatriot Oscar, who was also traveling with him.There is one more passenger from Sweden, who is reportedly missing, the SP said, quoting Oscar.The derailment took place at 12.20 PM on Sunday when the packed train from Howrah reached near Malwa station, nearly 120 kms from Lucknow. The train was moving at a speed of 108 km/hour.Rescue operations continued through the night to extricate the trapped passengers and bodies from the badly damaged AC and other compartments.

"By tomorrow morning, the Howrah-Delhi route should be cleared off," Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal said, adding that an inquiry by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (Lucknow) Prashant Kumar has been ordered into the incident.Mittal said there was no fault in the track and the cabinman had told him that when the train was close to pole number 927/23, its engine started shaking and emitting smoke, after which the mishap took place.

Rail Safety Commissioner (Eastern Circle) has been asked to probe into the accident. The Railway has already announced compensation of five lakh rupees for the family of victims of this accident while one lakh rupees will be given to seriously injured and 25 thousand to those who got minor injuries.The Uttar Pradesh Government has also announced one lakh rupees financial asstance for the dependents of victims and 50 thousand for seriously injured and 25 thousand for those having minor injuries.

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi have expressed deep shock and sorrow at the loss of lives in the train mishap.According to the Railway officials in Chandigarh, 98 passengers belong to Chandigarh and Kalka in the Kalka Mail train mishap. No information has yet reached Chandigarh about the passengers.

A helpline has been set-up at Chandigarh Railway Station with two telephone numbers: 0172-2639785 and 0172-2658924.

Helpline services have also been launched at Delhi (23962389, 23967332), Allahabad (05322407352, 05322408128) Fathepur (05180222025, 05180222026) Kanpur (05122323015, 05122323016) and Khurja (05738253084) for giving details of the relief and rescue operations.Media agencies