Bilaspur: A tragic train accident reportedly occurred near Bilaspur railway station in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday around 4:00 PM , when a MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) passenger train (No. 68733, en route from Gevra Road in Korba district to Bilaspur) rammed the goods train at its back which moving on same track on the Bilaspur-Katni section.
The impact was so huge that it caused severe damage to many coaches of the passenger train and derailed. Meanwhile, the female coach carrying women and children lifted up and landed on to a goods wagon, trapping some passengers leading to several casualties. Dr. Suskar Vipul Bilasrao, CPRO, SECR confirmed the train accident.
According to the locals, around six persons were killed in the tragic train accident and around 10-20 people got injured. Meanwhile, the district administration admitted that 4 people died in the accident.
District collector Sanjay Agarwal, who was on the site stated around four persons died in the accident. Meanwhile, among the injured, the condition of one person is critical. All the injured were referred to nearby hospitals including Applo and CIMS for better treatment.
Amid the questions of the casualties figures, the administration has not denied that toll figures may rise.
However, in this context, the South Eastern Central Railway (SECR) administration announced ex-gratia payments: ₹10 lakh for families of the deceased, ₹5 lakh for seriously injured, and ₹1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
To pace up the rescue operations, SECR deployed its resources, and issued helpline numbers for enquiries:1075 (Railway Enquiry), 06652-263200 (Bilaspur Control Room), 7777814132 (Raipur Railway Station Help Desk). Help desks are also set up at Bhatapara and Durg Railway Station, a railway press statement said.
Whole accident case will be probed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), SECR said.
Moreover, along with rescue teams from Indian Railways, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local police, and medical units were also deployed at the accident site near Gatora and Bilaspur stations (also referred to as Lalkhadan area).
The trains running on Bilaspur-Howrah and Mumbai-Howrah routes were disrupted, and delayed:
Train No. 12809 (Howrah-Mumbai Mail) stopped at Pendra Road.
Train No. 20826 (Nagpur-Bilaspur Express) held at Sarzoni.
Others like 18029 (LTT-Shalimar Express) and 12129 (Pune-Howrah Express) were delayed or diverted. Local trains passing through Raipur are either delayed or diverted.
Efforts are underway to clear the tracks, with safety personnel monitoring the section, SECR administration said.
In this context, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, expressed his grief and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. He also instructed the Bilaspur District Collector to provide immediate relief, and assured full state support for affected families.
