The railway ministry officials are suspecting a foul play in the derailment of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express.
While refusing to rule out a terror angle, a senior Railways official said the Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur section is a busy route and several trains pass on it. Hence, the derailment on the route was surprising.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti Terriorist Squad officials visited the spot. The Railways is assisting them in probing the terror angle, the official said.
The first five coaches remained intact while the remaining 14 derailed, the official said.
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu on Saturday ordered a high-level probe into the incident and said strict action will be taken against the guilty.
The minister, in a series of tweets, said he had deputed Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha and top Railways officials to the spot to help in rescue and relief operations.
Medical vans from Delhi and Saharanpur, and an accident relief train from Ambala were rushed to the site, said Prabhu, adding that he was personally monitoring the situation.
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