Two passengers were killed and 34 injured when eight coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, an official said.
Ambulances and medical teams were rushed to the spot between Motiganj and Jhilahi railway stations, about 150 km from the state capital, as news of the derailment came in.
The loco pilot heard the “sound of a blast” before the derailment, an official told reporters. But he did not elaborate.
There was confusion initially over the death toll.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that four people were killed, with district magistrate Neha Sharma too giving out the same number to the media. But about five hours after the 2.35 pm accident, the authorities revised the figures with Sharma saying there was one death.
Prima facie, when teams reached the spot people were laying scattered there in bad shape due to which confusion prevailed,” she said.
One more passenger died later in the evening while being taken to Lucknow for medical treatment, UP Relief Commissioner G S Naveen said. The Railways too had reported two deaths.
The dead were identified as Saroj Kumar Singh (31), a resident of Araria in Bihar, and Rahul (38) from Chandigarh.
Thirty of the injured were being treated at two community health centres and three at the district hospital. Apart from Rahul, another passenger was sent to Lucknow.
Bad weather affected the rescue operation for a while, but police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) completed the task.