Blinded by fog, trains collide in UP, 3 killed

4th Such Mishap Takes Place In A Fortnight

Allahabad/Kanpur: Fog caused yet another train accident, fourth in last 15 days, on Saturday when three people were killed and 16 others injured near Tundla Junction of North Central Railway after a Kanpur-bound express rammed into a stationary train.
    Blinded by fog, the driver of the Bhiwani-Kanpur Central Kalindi Express failed to see the halted Kanpur-Delhi Shram Shakti Express. The guard coach and a general compartment were badly damaged.
    “Two women and a child have been killed and 16 others injured,’’ NCR spokesperson R D Vajpai said. A woman, Rama Devi, and his son Mohit, residents of Kanpur were among the dead. The third victim is an unidentified 22-year-old woman.
    NCR officials said the Kalindi Express running at a moderate speed hit Shram Shakti at Mitawali near Tundla West cabin around 8.15 am. “Dense fog seems to be the reason for the mishap,’’ said a senior NCR official. Shram Shakti guard S K Dubey was lucky to escape as he got down from the cabin a few minutes before it was hit. “I thought it was an explosion but later found that Kalindi Express had hit my train,’’ said Dubey.
    An accident relief train from Tundla soon shifted the injured to Tundla railway hospital from where they were taken to Heritage Hospital, Agra. The Shram Shakti Express arrived at Kanpur Central at 4.30 pm. Many trains, including Shatabdi Express, Kala Mail and Neelanchal Express, were diverted. The railway ministry has suspended divisional manager, Allahabad, S K Agarwal, and three other officials for dereliction of duty. Railway safety commissioner T K Bajpai will arrive in Tundla on Monday for an inquiry. TNN