Mumbai-Nagpur Duronto Express Derails at Asangaon, Train Services Hit

Mumbai: In yet another train accident this month, nine coaches of Mumbai-Nagpur Duronto Express derailed near Kalyan, on the outskirts of Mumbai, around 8 am on Tuesday. The engine of the train also went off tracks. Railway ministry officials said no major injuries were reported in the incident.

No passenger has been injured in the incident, Sunil Udasi, chief PRO of the Central Railway, said.

Railway officials have sent five shuttle buses to move the stranded passengers. 30 more buses are being sent to the spot to rescue the rest. The injured have been brought to the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus.

A Railway source said, the accident took place around 6.35 am near the Asangaon railway station, when nine coaches jumped off the tracks, along with the engine.

"Our rescue team along with the Accident Relief Train with engineering staff is reaching at the spot," he said adding that traffic on the route is affected due to the derailment.

According to sources, the derailment might have been caused due to a landslide, however railway spokesperson AK Jain, while speaking to CNN-News18 said the actual reason behind the derailment is yet to be ascertained.

Passengers are now stranded on the accident site, which is 40 kilometres from Mumbai’s Thane area. NDRF personnel are still on their way to reach Asangaon.

An eye-witness said the incessant rains increased their difficulties as no relief team could each them even after one-and-a-half hour of the incident.

Click here to read on history of train accidents: India's Train Mishaps In Last 10 Years

Jain said, “Rescue teams have left for the accident site from Kalyan. This is sure to affect railway traffic from Mumbai."

The Railways also issued helpline numbers for CSMT (22694040) , Thane (25334840) , Kalyan (2311499) , Dadar (24114836) and Nagpur (2564342).

This is the third incident of train derailment within a span of 10 days and comes just days after Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu took moral responsibility of the recent accidents in Uttar Pradesh and offered to resign, while the Railway Board Chairman has resigned.