Train accident
Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of Sunday's train derailment in Pukhrayan, south of Kanpur city, India November 21, 2016.Reuters

At least 145 people were killed after 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express train derailed at Pukhrayan in Uttar Pradesh's in Kanpur Dehat district on Sunday. 

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Javeed Ahmed told ANI that 123 bodies have been identified and 110 bodies have been handed over to their kin.

On Monday, Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu addressed the Lok Sabha on the tragedy and said that "forensic enquiry has been ordered to look into all possible angles" and that the "guilty will be given strict punishment."

According to reports, rescue operations at the site of the accident are now over.

Indian Army personnel along with around 250 rescue workers worked through the night to clear the wreckage and carry out rescue operations. The team included a 50-member medical team.

The authorities had also arranged for a special train for the survivors of the tragedy to travel to Patna, which reached the city after 9 am on Monday.

On Sunday, Suresh Prabhu had said that all the necessary relief was being provided to the survivors. Around 4,000 food packets, 2,000 water bottles and 1,500 cups of tea have been supplied to all the survivors.

Prabhu also said that an inquiry has been ordered into the accident and that the "strictest possible action will be taken against those who could be responsible." According to railway officials, the accident may have been caused due to a fault in the tracks.

The Ministry of Railways has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 3.5 lakh for the next of kin, Rs 50,000 for those who have been critically injured and a compensation of Rs 25,000 for those who sustained minor injuries. The Prime Minister's Office has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin.

According to the Times of India, the railway authorities claimed that there were around 1,200 passengers on board, but sources claimed that the numbers were a lot more than the specified figure. There were many passengers travelling without tickets. Some were travelling with a general ticket, the figures of which the railway authorities do not show.

"There are many relatives who have come with enquiries for relatives who were not authorised to travel on the train. This suggests that the number of people travelling were much more than those who had reservation," a railway official at the help desk told the daily.

The vendors at the station also said that the number of people on the train was way more than its capacity. The authorities installing extra coaches did not help. The Indore-Patna Express usually runs overloaded because it is the only train that connects Patna to Indore and many from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh live in this part of the state.

"I am looking for my brother. Who knows? He may have changed his seat.We have searched everywhere," survivor Ramanand Tiwari told NDTV. His brother Rajmani was in one of the coaches that suffered the maximum damage.

Train accident
Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a train derailment in Pukhrayan, south of Kanpur city, India November 20, 2016.Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered condolences to the bereaved families and said that he had spoken to Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu about the tragedy.

Helpline Numbers:

Patna - 0612-2202290, 0612-2202291, 0612-2202292, 025-83288

lndore - 0741 1072

Ujjain - 0734 2560906

Ratlam - 07412 1072

Mugalsarai - 05412-251258, 05412-254145

Hajipur - 06224-272230

Jhansi - 05101072

Orai - 051621072

Kanpur - 05121072

Pokhrayan - 05113-270239

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