MP twin train derailment: Death toll rises to 29

Bhopal (MP): The death toll in the twin train derailment in Madhya Pradesh’s Harda district has gone up to 29, with the recovery of one more body from the mishap site, a railway official said on Friday. The villagers found one more body yesterday, thus taking the toll to 29 in the twin train tragedy, West Central Railway Public Relations Officer I A Siddiqui said. Out of the 29 deceased, 17 have been identified while efforts are on to identify the others, he said. [caption id=“attachment_2383048” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Image courtesy-news18[/caption] On the day of the accident, 12 bodies were found inside the bogies of the two trains–11 from Janta Express and one from Kamayani Express– while the villagers had recovered bodies of 13 people from the vicinity, he said. Later, a team of National Disaster Response Force launched a search operation and found three more bodies. The two trains – Varanasi-bound Kamayani Express from Mumbai and Mumbai-bound Janta Express originating from Patna – while crossing a railway bridge struck by flash floods in Harda on August 4 before midnight had jumped off the tracks, sending 17 bogies and one engine tumbling into a swollen Machak river. Nearly 900 meters of railway track got badly damaged in the heavy rains that lashed the region on that day leading to the base material beneath the rail line getting washed away, which was the main cause of the accident, Siddiqui said. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Bhopal, Alok Kumar said 800 railway employees and officers were working day and night to restore the tracks. The rail traffic will resume in the section by Sunday evening, he said. Out of the 29 deceased, 17, including 11 women, have been identified as Mathura Bai (60), Deepchand Rajak (40), Heerabai (35), Gendabai (65), Sushilabai (45), Renu Bathre (20), Sangita Bathre (17), Ansh Bathre (03), Anshi Bathre (6), Rajkumaribai (25) Soniabai (55) Jijabai (75), Vishra Meena (53), Farooq (23), Suraj Saini (25), Kanchan Devi (50) and Ramzan Shah (23). PTI