As many as 20 coaches of the Sabarmati Express passenger train derailed near Govindpuri station in Kanpur of Uttar Pradesh early Saturday. The Varanasi-Ahmedabad train derailed between Kanpur and Bhimsen railway station around 2.35 am. No causalities have been reported yet.
READ MORE: 20 coaches of Sabarmati Express derail near Kanpur, no injuries reported
While the exact cause of the derailment is yet to be ascertained, the tweet Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seemed to suggest some sort of conspiracy behind the incident.
Vaishnaw said the engine of the train hit an object that was on the track, and sharp hit marks have been observed.
Evidence is protected and an investigation by the IB and the police is underway, the minister said.
The engine of Sabarmati Express (Varanasi to Amdavad) hit an object placed on the track and derailed near Kanpur at 02:35 am today.
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) August 17, 2024
Sharp hit marks are observed. Evidence is protected. IB and UP police are also working on it.
No injuries to passengers or staff. Train arranged…
Railway Board officials too pointed to the possible involvement of anti-social elements in the accident as prima facie it appears that the engine hit an object placed on the track.
Uttar Pradesh | Train number 19168, Sabarmati Express derailed in a block section between Kanpur and Bhimsen station. No injuries to anyone were reported from the site. Buses have reached the site to take the passengers to Kanpur: Indian Railways
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2024
(Source - Indian Railways) pic.twitter.com/vYGmTgDthv
"We found a foreign material near the 16th coach of the train. Looking at the size of the damaged portion of cattle guard of the engine, it seems that the engine hit this foreign object and derailed," an official has been quoted as saying.
"The loco pilot said that some boulder hit the cattle guard (front portion) of the engine which got badly damaged and bent," another official said, reported news agency PTI.
As the incident happened on the week hours of Saturday, it took some time for the police to reach the spot. "The police came almost an hour after the incident. We are waiting with our luggage on the side of the adjacent railway track," a passenger has been quoted as saying.
