Jamshedpur/Ranchi/Chaibasa/Kolkata, 30 July

Two people were killed and 20 others injured after at least 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district early on Tuesday.

The accident occurred at 3.45am near Barabamboo, around 80km from Jamshedpur, under the Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway (SER). SER spokesperson Om Prakash Charan said there was another derailment of a goods train nearby, but it was not yet clear whether the two accidents occurred simultaneously.

The railways announced an inquiry into the train accident, another SER official said. "Two persons were killed and 20 injured as 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed near Barabamboo," West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Kuldeep Chaudhary, who is camping at the accident site, told PTI.

He added that the "Howrah-Mumbai train hit the stationary goods train". The accident site is near the border between West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts. "At least 18 coaches of the 22-coach 12810 Howrah-Mumbai Mail via Nagpur derailed near Barabamboo station in SER's Chakradharpur Division at 3.45am," the SER spokesperson said.

Of these, 16 were passenger coaches, one power car and one pantry car, he added. "The accident will be probed by a team, headed by Commissioner, Safety, Railways ", Aditya Kumar Choudhary, Senior DCM, Chakradharpur, SER told PTI.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed officials to expedite relief operations and help the injured people. "The injured passengers were provided medical aid in Barabamboo. They were taken to Chakradharpur for better treatment," a senior SER official said.

"The railways announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for kin of each deceased, Rs 5 lakh for those with major injuries, Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries, the Senior DCM, Chakradharpur, told PTI.

According to the railway CPRO, rescue and relief operations have been completed. "Eighty per cent of passengers have already been sent to Chakradharpur railway station. The remaining 20 per cent are being sent through a special train," the CPRO added.

The passengers were sent to their destination by a special train from Chakradharpur at 12.15 pm, an official said. East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner A Mittal said all necessary actions are being taken to expedite relief and rescue operations.

JMM legislator and Chief Minister Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren urged the JMM and INDIA Bloc workers to extend help to the district administration in carrying out relief and rescue operations besides providing water and food to the victims.

The SER cancelled a few express and passenger trains owing to the accident. These are the 22861 Howrah-Titlagarh-Kantabanji Express, 08015/18019 Kharagpur-Jhargram-Dhanbad Express, 12021/12022 Howrah-Barbil-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express, 18109 Tatanagar-Itwari Express and 18030 Shalimar-LTT Express.

Some other trains will be short-terminated or diverted, the official said. These trains are the 18114 Bilaspur-Tatanagar Express, which will be short-terminated at Rourkela, the 18190 Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express at Chakradharpur, the 18011 Howrah-Chakradharpur Express at Adra and the 18110 Itwari-Tatanagar Express at Bilaspur.

The South Eastern Railway has opened helpline numbers for passengers. The numbers are 022-22694040 for Mumbai, 08799982712 for Bhusawal, 7757912790 for Nagpur, 0657-2290324 for Tata, 06587-238072 for Chakradharpur, 0661-2501072 and 0661-2500244 for Rourkela and 06645-272530 for Jharsuguda. Helpline numbers for Howrah are 9433357920 and 033-26382217, Shalimar (7595074427 and 6295531471) and Kharagpur (03222-293764), the SER said.