A major accident was averted near Yog Nagari railway station on Monday night after three coaches of the Ujjain Express derailed in the Khand Gaon area in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh. The incident took place around 9.30 pm. Fortunately, there were no passengers on board at the time of the derailment. Initial investigations indicate that the derailment occurred due to brake failure during routine maintenance operations. The incident has sparked questions about the handling of train movement during maintenance hours. There are also allegations that senior railway officials did not reach the site for nearly two and a half hours.
The mishap adds to the series of railway-related incidents reported over the past few days. On Monday morning, a train caught fire in Sasaram, and a day earlier a fire broke out in a coach of the Rajdhani Express 12431 in Ratlam district.
Brake failure suspected in Rishikesh derailment
Meanwhile, a large number of locals gathered at the spot soon after the derailment. Personnel from the Government Railway Police took charge and dispersed the crowd to secure the tracks. The railway authorities have launched a detailed probe and stated that the cause of the incident is being thoroughly examined.
Fire incidents reported in Sasaram and Ratlam
Earlier on Monday (May 18), around 6 am, panic spread at the Sasaram railway station when a passenger train on the Sasaram-Ara-Patna route suddenly caught fire. Passengers on the platform and inside the train rushed for safety as the flames spread. The fire was eventually brought under control by responders.
On Sunday, another fire incident was reported in a coach of the Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express 12431 near Alot station in Ratlam district. The affected coach had 68 passengers on board. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in either of the two fire-related incidents.
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