26 INJURED AS TRAIN DERAILS IN PALI, MIN VAISHNAW VISITS SPOT

Pali: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said that 1,900 km of train tracks across the country have been marked for inspection and the faulty ones will be replaced. Vaishnaw visited the spot in Pali where the 11 coaches of Bandra-Jodhpur Suryanagari Express derailed at 3.30 am on Monday on the Rajkiyawas-Bamodara route in which 26 people were injured. The minister also announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the injured and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries. Vaishnaw kept monitoring the rescue work from 4 am and reached the spot at 7 pm. He said that the tracks built in this slot will be replaced across the country. The damaged track in Pali will be repaired by Tuesday morning and the forensic investigation will be done. Vaishnaw also thanked the administration of Pali district for their cooperation.

Twenty-six passengers were injured after 13 coaches of a Jodhpur-bound express train derailed in Pali district early Monday. No loss of life was reported, a spokesperson of the North Western Railway (NWR) said. The injured included 4 scouts who were part of a group of around 150 scouts going to participate in Jamboree in Pali. The initial report of the railways mentioned that train track suffered cracks due to severe cold that caused the incident. Several trains were either cancelled or diverted due to the derailment of Bandra Terminus-Jodhpur Suryanagri Express (12480) on Rajkiyawas-Bamodara route at 3.27 am. The injured, two of them seriously hurt, have been admitted at the Bangad Hospital in Pali. Stranded passengers have been taken to their destinations by buses and alternative train routes, the spokesperson said. Three coaches S3, S4 and S5 were majorly affected. The air-conditioned coaches remained unaffected. The passenger also said after 15-20 minutes, ambulances and facilities were arranged for the injured.