BHOPAL: Two trains derailed late on Tuesday night on Machak river bridge as the tracks were damaged in heavy rain, near Harda station, about 160 km from Bhopal, killing nearly 30 passengers. Seven coaches of Kamayani Express and three coaches and the engine of Janata Express were derailed.
Bodies of 29 passengers, including 5 children were recovered till Wednesday morning.
The two express trains, Mumbai-Varanasi Kamayani Express and Jabalpur-Mumbai Janata Express, coming in opposite directions, derailed almost simultaneously while crossing the bridge on the swollen river near Harda in Madhya Pradesh.
Kamayani Express was the first to derail at around 11.30 pm and Janata Express derailed a few minutes later. Kamayani Express was on way from Mumbai to Varanasi and the Janata Express was going from Jabalpur to Mumbai.
It appeared the ground under the tracks was washed away in torrential rains, leading to the derailment.
The Railways has cancelled or diverted several trains passing through the route for two days, Wednesday and Thursday. Some of the trains affected are: 01712
Jabalpur-LTT Summer Special, 11015 Kushinagar Express, 11033 Pune Darbhanga Express, 11053 LTT-Azamgarh Express, 11071 Kamayani Express, 11081 LTT-Gorakhpur Express, 12187 Mumbai Garibrath, 12490 Dadar Bikaner Express, 13202 LTT Rajendranagar Express, 12147 Kolhapur-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express,
11077 Pune-Jammu Tawi Jhelum Express, 12137 CST-Ferozpur Punjab Mail, 11015 LTT-Gorakhpur Kushinagar Express, 11057 CST-Amritsar Express, 12617 Ernakulam-Hazrat Nizamuddin Mangala Express, 12322 CST-Howrah Mail 12141 LTT-Rajendranagar Exp, 11093 CST-Varanasi Mahanagari Express, 11078 Jammu Tawi-Pune Jhelum Express, 12142 Rajendranagar-LTT Express, 12597 Gorakhpur-CST Express.
The Railways has given out the following helpline phone numbers for enquiries about the twin tragedy. However, Travel Times could not get through any of these!
Harda: 09752460088; Bhopal: 07554061609; Bina: 075802222; Itarsee:
0758422419200
