Sealdah-Ajmer express derailment: Korean team visits Rura railway station to investigate cause of accident

KANPUR: An expert team from

South Korea

visited the

Rura

railway station on Tuesday to investigate the cause of

derailment

of Sealdah-Ajmer express which had occurred on December 28 last year, leaving 62 passengers injured. The team which comprised of six experts, first inspected the accident spot and also did videography of the site and the mangled remains of the coaches. They even took measurement of the broken tracks and closely observed the signal system at the railway station.

The team, after collecting the evidences, also spoke to the railway officials and staff including section engineers and tried gathering more details into the accident. The sources also stated that this expert team may also visit Pukhrayan in

Kanpur Dehat

where Indore-Rajendra Nagar Patna express had derailed on November 20 last year, killing 152 passengers and leaving 300 passengers injured. It had turned out to be one of the deadliest train accidents in the past five years.

The railways termed the investigation by the Korean team as 'audit by third party'.

Though the cause of the accident would be concluded by the Korean team later, sources stated that the track fracture could be the reason for the Sealdah-Ajmer express to derail. A team of

IIT-Kanpur experts

which had visited Rura soon after the derailment incident had concluded that the track fracture was the most probable reason for Sealdah-Ajmer express to derail.

Talking to TOI, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), North Central Railways, Bijay Kumar said that the Korean team had come to Rura railway station to carry out audit of the accident site, tracks and the mangled remains of the coaches. This expert team had been sent by the Railway ministry and they would be submitting their report with the ministry after completing their investigation, he added. "This was 'audit by third party' which the railways get done to know about lapses if any."

Train no. 12987 Sealdah-Ajmer Express went off the tracks between Rura and Metha railway stations, about 50kms from Kanpur. During the accident, 15 coaches of the train derailed and left more than 60 people injured.

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