Bodies of 12 Kanwarias, who were run over by an express train near Saryu Ghat railway station last night, have been recovered while search is on for some persons who jumped into the river to escape being mowed down.
Divers from the paramilitary Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were searching for more bodies in Saryu as several Kanwarias had jumped into the river to avoid the Intercity Express train which had arrived on the track just as the Shiva devotees had got down to take water from the river for offering at a temple in Karnailganj.
DIG, Devi Patan, Sanjay S Tarde said the situation in Karnailganj and surrounding areas, which had witnessed arson and violence following the incident, was fast returning to normal.
The Kajri Mela was going on as per schedule though shops and markets in Karnailganj township were closed. No untoward incident has been reported from anywhere so far, he added.
Railway sources said traffic on the Lucknow-Gorakhpur section has been restored but trains from Lucknow were running late.
At least 16 Kanwarias were reportedly killed in the accident.
Soon after the incident, a group of Kanwarias set on fire one of the cabins of the railway station, some kiosks there and a fire tender.
The area was gripped by tension as a mob of Kanwarias remained at the incident site even as the authorities requisitioned CRPF and PAC personnel from the district headquarters.
