(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Possible negligence will be among the issues that Indian Railways' safety commissioner will be looking into in his investigation into the train derailment that left 20 people dead, a Railway Board member said yesterday.
Fourteen coaches of an express passenger train travelling from the eastern seaside town of Puri to Haridwar in the Himalayan foothills of northern India derailed on Saturday near Khatauli town in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
The death toll was revised down by the railway from 23.
At least 100 people were also injured in the accident.
'The commissioner of railway safety would begin his investigation tomorrow once the restoration work on the tracks is over, Railway Board member Mohamed Jamshed said at a press briefing in New Delhi.
'Prima facie information is that there was some work going on on the track. Some repair equipment of the railways has been found lying alongside the track, Jamshed said.
'The safety commissioner will collect evidence from the site and look at these and all other angles. In case negligence is found there will be strict action, Jamshed said.
An unverified audio clip that has gone viral on social media reportedly recorded the conversation between railway workers at the site where they talked of lack of co-ordination causing the accident.
'We have heard the audio clip through local media channels and its authenticity will be investigated, Jamshed said.
'We always invite anyone with any information to come forward during investigations.
The accident most likely occurred due to the negligence of railway staff as the driver of the train was not aware that maintenance work being carried out on the track, the Times of India reported, citing an unnamed senior railways source.
'Our final figures say 20 people lost their lives and 92 were injured, out of whom 22 have sustained grievous injuries, Jamshed said.
Uttar Pradesh police had earlier said 23 people were killed and 156 were injured when the train derailed near the town of Khatauli.
Emergency crews searched mangled carriages for any further victims.
The coaches were left piled atop each other after the express train derailed, crashing into nearby houses and a college.
Rescuers used gas-powered saws yesterday to prise apart the tangled metal and search the wreckage with sniffer dogs.
'We are checking the coaches thoroughly for any survivors or bodies, Anant Dev, Muzaffarnagar district police chief, said.
A large crowd gathered at the accident site to help free passengers from the damaged carriages, many of which were upended and torn open.
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu vowed in a Twitter message to 'fix responsibility for the crash.
Authorities have also asked anti-terror officers to investigate whether sabotage was involved.
Survivors described sudden jolting followed by a violent crash.
'There was a huge thud and a shake before I fell off the berth, Nadeem Shauket, who escaped with minor injuries, said.
'It's a miracle, he said of his survival virtually unscathed, describing how hundreds of locals rushed to their rescue.
India's railway network is the world's fourth largest and remains the main form of travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents often occur.
Experts blame under-investment and poor safety standards for the frequency of rail accidents.
This latest derailment is the fourth major crash this year, and follows another accident in Uttar Pradesh last November that left 146 dead.
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