14 dead,dozens injured as train rams truck at unmanned crossing in UP

The train was reportedly overcrowded ahead of Kartik Purnima that will be celebrated on Monday.

Nearly 4 kms away from the Nawabganj railway station,the train hit a sand-laden truck that had stopped in the middle of an unmanned railway crossing,said police.

Eleven persons died on the spot while three succumbed to their injuries in hospitals in Faizabad (Sriram Nursing Home) and Nawabganj (Community Health Centre).

A special train with ambulance bogies was dispatched to the spot even as railway movement on the route was affected.

Divisional Railway Manager of the North Eastern Railway,Lucknow Division,Ashok Kumar Singh,said: “Railway authorities are on their way and process of identifying the victims is on.”

Rail Safety Commissioner P K Bajpai has been asked to probe the accident and submit a report by November 5.

The Railways has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh for the dependents of each of deceased,Rs 1 lakh each for those seriously injured and Rs 10,000 each to those who suffered minor injuries.

Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed grief and extended condolences to the kin of those who died in the accident.

Railways report says 11 dead
While police reports suggest that 14 passengers died in the accident and the truck driver was injured,a communiqué from the Railways has put the casualty figure at 11,including the truck driver and cleaner. Interestingly,DIG Devipatan Range Y K Pachauri had said: “An FIR has been lodged against the truck driver who also sustained injuries. The truck cleaner fled the scene.”