Nashik, July 20: At least 3 persons were killed and 31 others injured in a collision between a local train and Vidarbha Express near Khardi station near here on Mumbai-Kasara route tonight.
The mishap took place after 11 bogeys of an EMU train from Kasara going to Kalyan derailed possibly due to landslide, Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal said in New Delhi. The derailed EMU coaches blocked the adjacent track on which the Vidarbha Express, going from Mumbai to Gondia, came from the opposite direction and collided with EMU bogeys at around 2130 hours, he said.
The driver of the Vidarbha Express noticed the obstructions on the track and applied emergency brake and as a result two of its coaches S9 and S10 jumped off the line, causing the collision with the derailed coaches, he said.
A medical team has reached the accident site. Mittal said the Commissioner of Safety (Railways) would conduct an inquiry into the incident. Railway Minister Mukul Roy announced an exgratia of Rs five lakh for next of the kin of the dead, Rs 1 lakh for seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those who suffered simple injuries.
A statement from Central Railway said the mishap took place between Kasara and Umbermali on Kalyan Igatpuri section of Mumbai division. Helpline Number 022-22694040 (Mumbai), 10720 (Nagpur) has been provided for those seeking the information about the mishap, the statement added.
According to Central Railway sources, heavy rains had made rescue work difficult. The injured have been admitted to Kasara primary health centre and Sahapur rural hospital.
