| Khatauli train derailment | |
| Pushpin Map: | India Uttar Pradesh#India |
| Coordinates: | 29.276°N 77.731°W |
| Date: | 19 August 2017 |
| Time: | around 5:45 pm (IST) |
| Location: | Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh |
| Country: | India |
| Type: | Derailment |
| Trains: | 1 |
| Deaths: | 23 |
| Injuries: | 156 |
On 19 August 2017, the Kalinga Utkal Express train derailed near Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India causing fatalities:[1] 23 people were killed and 156 others were injured.[2] This was the fourth major passenger train derailment in 2017 and the third in Uttar Pradesh.[3]
On 19 August 2017, around 5:45 pm (IST), 14 of the 23 coaches of the Kalinga Utkal Express derailed near Khatauli in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. The train was heading from Puri in Odisha to Haridwar in Uttarakhand.[4] [5] [6] The accident occurred because the Haridwar-bound train sped along track that was undergoing repair without being warned beforehand.
Twenty-three people were killed in the accident, according to the Uttar Pradesh police.[7] According to Uttar Pradesh's Minister of Industrial Development Satish Mahana, 174 injured were admitted to different hospitals.[8]
Media footage showed coaches mounted on top of one another, while one carriage crashed into a house beside the track.[4] National Disaster Response Force personnel rushed to the scene to join the rescue operation. Rescuers used metal cutters and cranes to reach inside the damaged coaches.[9]
According to the Indian railway ministry, three trains were cancelled and six were diverted following the accident. The 14521/14522 Ambala-Delhi-Ambala Intercity Express, 18478 Haridwar-Puri Utkal Kalinga Express and the 14682 Jalandhar-New Delhi Intercity Express were cancelled. Meanwhile, the railways also issued some helpline numbers.[10]
India's Railways minister Suresh Prabhu announced an ex-gratia of ₨ 3.5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and ₨ 50,000 for each seriously injured passengers. ₨ 25,000 was announced for passengers with minor injuries.[11]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the accident in a series of tweets. He further said, "My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. I wish those injured a speedy recovery. The situation is being monitored very closely by the Railways Ministry. Railways Ministry & UP Government are doing everything possible & providing all assistance required in the wake of the train derailment."[12]
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said, "Sad at train derailment in UP; my thoughts are with deceased & their families. Injured are being rescued & provided relief."[12]