The Shaktipunj Express, whose seven coaches derailed near Obra in Uttar Pradesh (ANI photo) The Shaktipunj Express, whose seven coaches derailed near Obra in Uttar Pradesh (ANI photo)

At least seven coaches of the Shaktipunj Express – bound for Jabalpur from Howrah – derailed in Sonbhadra district of eastern Uttar Pradesh early this morning.

“The accident occurred at around 6:25 AM and we have already cleared out the site,” Railway ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena told PTI.

“All passengers were put on the remaining coaches and by 7:28 AM all of them had left the spot. All of them are safe and no one was injured in the accident,” he said. That the train was travelling at an average speed of 40 km/hr prevented a major accident, officials said. The train, which has a daily service, passes through the country’s chief mining zones in Jharkhand.

The derailment of the train is the third in the state of UP in less than a month. At least 22 people were killed when the Utkal Express derailed near Muzaffarnagar on August 19. Less than a week later, the Kaifiyat Express, that travels between Delhi and Azamgarh, derailed in Auraiya district leading to at least 100 people getting injured in the accident.

The accidents spurred the suspension of a number of senior officials of the ministry and a change at the top of the Railway Board. Ashwani Lohani, who earlier headed Air India, was brought in as the chairman of the Railway Board. In the ensuing cabinet reshuffle at the Centre, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who took responsibility for the derailments, was replaced by Piyush Goyal.

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