Accident caused by poor condition of track?

By Our Special Correspondent

JEONPURA, DEC. 2. The site of the train mishap, about 45 km from Chandigarh, presented a gory scene. It was almost a repeat of the November 26, 1998 accident involving two passenger trains, which occurred a few km away on the same Ambala-Ludhiana sector of the Northern Railway.

In the earlier crash, about 200 passengers died. Not only was today's accident site as ghastly, but also were the causes.

The maximum casualties were reported from three unreserved coaches of the Howrah Mail. Because of this, railways authorities said, it proved difficult to identify the bodies.

According to preliminary investigations by police and railway authorities, at about 5:40 a.m., 11 wagons of the goods train got detached, with four capsizing on the parallel track. The Howrah Mail, running in the opposite direction, collided with the capsized wagons.

While the engine of the Howrah Mail derailed, the three unreserved coaches smashed into one other and a reserved coach mounted the wreckage. Blood, pieces of flesh and belongings were strewn around.

A Railways official from the Ambala division, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the accident occurred because of the poor condition of the track, which could have developed cracks due to heavy traffic. On the other hand, the Divisional Railways Manager, Mr. Vijay Kumar, and the Member, Railways Board (Traffic), Mr. Shanti Narain, said it was too early to pinpoint the cause. They were of the opinion that it was a freak case, where the coupling between wagons four and five of the goods train got disconnected and the driver of the Howrah Mail had little time to respond.

Most of the uninjured passengers left the site soon after the accident. According to an estimate, of the 1,200-odd passengers travelling by the Howrah Mail, none boarded a special train brought from Ludhiana.

Among those who visited the spot included the Punjab Governor, Lt. Gen. (retd.) J.F.R. Jacob, who announced a grant of Rs. 2 lakhs to the Red Cross of Fatehgarh Sahib for purchasing medicines, bandage and milk for those admitted to hospitals.

The police chief, Mr. Sarabjit Singh, reached the spot early and supervised rescue operations. The ADGP (GRP), Mr. J.S. Chahal, the DIG (Patiala range), Mr. Sanjiv Gupta, and the Deputy Commissioners of Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala, Mr. B.S. Sudan and Mr. Jasbir Singh Bir, were camping at the site. Political leaders, including the local MP, Mrs. Parneet Kaur, and some MLAs also visited the site and met the injured in hospitals.

The Railways has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 4 lakhs for the next of kin of each of those killed and up to Rs. 4 lakhs, depending on the nature of injury, to those hurt.

Meanwhile, traffic to and from Amritsar as well as Jammu has been diverted on the Ambala-Dhuri sector.

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