7 dead, 14 injured in passenger train’s rear-end collision with goods train in Chhattisgarh

BILASPUR, Nov 4: At least seven persons were killed and 14 others injured after a passenger train collided with a goods train from behind near Bilaspur station in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, officials said.
The incident took place around 4 pm when the MEMU (mainline electric multiple unit) passenger train was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra (in neighbouring Korba district), they said.
The impact of the collision was so severe that a coach of the passenger train ended up on top of a wagon of the cargo train, the railway officials said, adding that two persons are still trapped in the wreckage.
When the passenger train was between Gatora and Bilaspur railway stations on the Howrah-Mumbai rail route section, it rammed into a goods train from behind, according to them.
The spot is a few kilometres away from Bilaspur city, which houses the headquarters of South Eastern Central Railway (SECR) zone.
“So far, seven deaths have been confirmed in the accident. Two others are still trapped inside the wreckage and efforts are on to evacuate them,” Bilaspur Collector Sanjay Agrawal told PTI.
The goods train was also moving in the same direction as that of the passenger train, he said.
The injured passengers have been shifted to Apollo Hospital and CIMS hospital in Bilaspur. The condition of one of them is said to be critical, he added.
The railway authorities have mobilised all resources at the spot, and required measures are being taken for the treatment of the injured persons, the officials said.
As per the visuals, the collision resulted in a coach of the passenger train getting mounted onto a wagon of the goods train.
The railway authorities announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to kin of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh to the seriously injured persons, while those who sustained minor injuries will receive Rs 1 lakh assistance, an official statement said. (PTI)