Death toll rises to 11 in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur train accident, bodies retrieved from wreckage

The incident occurred around 4 pm on Tuesday when the MEMU (mainline electric multiple unit) passenger train was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra (in neighbouring Korba district), officials said.

Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh): The death toll in the collision of a passenger train with a goods train near Bilaspur railway station in Chhattisgarh has gone up to 11, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred around 4 pm on Tuesday when the MEMU (mainline electric multiple unit) passenger train was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra (in neighbouring Korba district), they said.

“Eleven persons have lost their lives and 20 others were injured in the accident," a statement issued by the Railways said.

The railway administration immediately launched relief and rescue operations. The injured persons were being provided with proper medical treatment at nearby hospitals, it added.

The impact of the collision was so severe that a coach of the passenger train ended up on top of a wagon of the cargo train, the railway officials said.

The injured passengers have been shifted to Apollo Hospital and Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) in Bilaspur.

"The passenger train hit the goods train from behind at a speed of 60 to 70 kmph after overshooting a red signal," a senior railway official said.

"It is now a matter of investigation as to why the loco pilot jumped the red signal and failed to apply the emergency brake in time, even though the goods train was within visible distance," the official said.

Loco pilot of the passenger train, Vidya Sagar, was among the killed in the accident and assistant loco pilot Rashmi Raj sustained serious injuries.

The passenger train rammed into the brake van with such force that it was mangled badly, the official said.

The manager (guard) of the goods train jumped out of the brake van - the last coach of the goods train - at the last moment and sustained minor injuries, the official added.

Both the injured railway personnel have been hospitalised, he said.

The railway authorities announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to kin of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh to the seriously injured persons, while those who sustained minor injuries will receive Rs 1 lakh assistance, an official statement said.

A detailed inquiry into the incident will be conducted at the level of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) to ascertain the cause and recommend necessary corrective measures, it said.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

Of the 11 deceased, five have been identified as passenger train local pilot Vidya Sagar (53), Lovkush Shukla (41), Ranjeet Prabhakar (in his early 40s), Shila Yadav (25) and Priya Chandra (21), the officials said.

Four women and two men among the deceased are yet to be identified, they said.

The 20 injured include nine women and a 2-year-old boy. Assistant loco pilot of the passenger train, Rashmi Raj (34), train manager (guard) Ashok Kumar Dixit (54), and guard of the goods train Shailesh Chadra (49) were among those hospitalised, according to the officials.