CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered an inquiry into the tragic Amritsar train accident in which at least 58 people were killed and 72 injured and declared one-day mourning in the state on Saturday. The chief minister, who was scheduled to leave for Israel this evening, has postponed his trip and will fly to Amritsar in the morning to personally supervise relief operations and meet families of the victims of the incident, which occurred during Dussehra festivities, an official statement said. "The state will remain in mourning tomorrow in view of #Amritsar train mishap. All offices & educational institutions will remain closed," the chief minister tweeted. "Have set up Crisis Management Group under @BrahmMohindra to monitor relief & rehabilitation efforts in #Amritsar. Won't spare any efforts on part of govt to tackle the crisis," he said in another tweet. According to Raveen Thukral, media advisor to the chief minister, initial reports suggest the incident occurred during a stampede, as people rushed towards the tracks when crackers went off during 'Ravana dahan'. Reports suggest that the train ploughed through the crowd on the tracks, leading to the tragedy. So far, 40 people have been confirmed dead and many injured. However, the death toll could rise as relief operations are underway, he said. Additional police force has been rushed to the spot to control the situation in the wake of the incident. Acting on the chief minister's directives, Rehabilitation Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Health Minister Brahm Mohindra have already rushed to Amritsar to supervise rescue and relief operations. Punjab's home secretary, health secretary and DGP (Law & Order) have also left for Amritsar. Singh has issued orders to mobilize all necessary administrative and police personnel on a war footing to help the district administration tackle the situation. The chief minister has also directed the chief secretary to deploy administrative officials to ensure that the injured people are hospitalised immediately. All private hospitals have been asked to remain open to provide urgent free treatment and care to the injured. The chief minister said a thorough probe will be conducted into the incident. Why an effigy was allowed to be burnt close to the railway tracks will also be investigated. Expressing condolences to the families of the deceased, the chief minister has announced immediate ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed. Facebook Twitter Linkedin EMail<doc-sep>22:29 (ist) Priority is to give best possible medical assistance to the injured: Northern Railways CPRO tells Firstpost When asked whether any probe will be conducted by Northern Railways, Deepak Kumar — CPRO, Nothern Railways — told Firstpost: "The Minister of State for Railways, along with Railway Board chairman and other senior officials, are on their way to the accident site. Any announcement on any enquiry can be given only by them." He also said that the railways was not responsible for the mishap. Kumar also said that the railways will decide on compensation later. "The question of compensation doesn't arise immediately because the priority is to give the best possible medical assistance to the injured as of now. The railways would decide on compensation later," Kumar said.<doc-sep>Amritsar train tragedy: Main organisers on the run as toll rises AMRITSAR: Nothing can dull Vijay Kumar’s trauma. The father of Class XI student Manish has been going around with a photograph of his son’s severed head asking if anyone had seen the torso.He said his son had gone to watch the Dussehra fireworks along with friends, but he couldn’t find Manish at the train accident site. “Today I was sent a photograph of a severed head on WhatsApp and I was shell-shocked to see it was my Manish. I rushed to the hospital, and am yet to find his headless body,” the dazed father said.Many also lost their lives in the stampede that followed the scramble when the train hit. Keemti Lal wanted to celebrate Dussehra with granddaughter Noor, barely 18 months old.He had invited his daughter Anu, 30, who lived in Ludhiana, to visit along with little Noor, but the inconsolable father and grandfather now holds himself responsible for their deaths. Admitted to the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Keemti Lal didn’t know doctors were conducting autopsy on his daughter and granddaughter a couple of hundred yards away.Keemti Lal barely managed to reveal that his daughter and granddaughter were not mowed down by the train, but were caught in a stampede, while he was injured.“We three were on the track when we saw the train coming and hurriedly moved, but suddenly there were people falling on us and I don’t know what happened after that,” he cried. A crestfallen Gurjit, who had brought the bodies of his father and sisters for postmortem, said that watching Dussehra at the Dhobi Ghat ground was routine and no one ever dreamt such an incident could happen.He said his sisters were of marriageable age, but now his family has been wiped out in the accident. “My mother lost her consciousness, I don’t know what is left in life for me, I lost my father and two sisters,” he said.“First, Howrah Express crossed the central track at a slow speed. With so many people on the tracks, it was expected the gateman at the crossing would signal the driver to slow down,” a stunned Ajay Kumar, 27, said, who lost his cousin in the accident.“I just remember bodies of people including children flying. I later found my cousin, dead, at a distance,” he said.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email A commuter train traveling at high speed ran through a crowd of people on the rail tracks in northern India killing at least 59 people on Friday, state officials said, making it India’s worst rail disaster this year. Video footage from the scene showed hundreds had gathered to watch the burning of an effigy as part of the Dussehra festival celebrations, when a commuter train ran through the crowd. “We have 59 confirmed dead. The toll can rise,” State police chief Suresh Arora told Reuters, adding emergency officials were still trying to ascertain the extent of the disaster on the outskirts of Amritsar in Punjab state. A Reuters witness at the scene saw bodies of victims strewn around rail tracks, friends and relatives stood around in shock, many were sobbing and appeared distraught. Story continues below advertisement An officer in the police control room said it was hard to confirm the toll as there were dismembered body parts all over. WATCH: Global News coverage of past India train tragedies Reuters partner ANI, a domestic news agency, reported that the Chief Medical Officer of the Civil Hospital in Amritsar said 60 people were killed and at least 51 people were injured. Reuters could not immediately confirm that death toll. Police said it was “freak accident” as people did not hear the train approaching amid the din of festivities and fireworks. During the festival of Dussehra people all over the country set aflame large effigies of a 10-headed demon from the Hindu epic Ramayana in a ceremony that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen People and policemen surround the bodies victims lying on a railway track after an accident in Amritsar, India, October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Munish Sharma In Amritsar, video footage showed the effigy of the demon Ravana had just been lit and firecrackers were going off when the train plowed into the crowd, who were craning their necks and applauding the show. ANI reported that a witness at the scene said the train that ran over people was traveling at a high speed. Amarinder Singh, Punjab chief minister, said he was rushing to Amritsar to supervise relief and rescue operations. WATCH: People pelt stones at police at site of Indian rail accident 0:32 People pelt stones at police at site of Indian rail accident People pelt stones at police at site of Indian rail accident – Oct 21, 2018 “We have also ordered an inquiry as to why this incident has taken place,” Singh told ANI, adding he did not know why the Dussehra celebrations were being held so close to the railway tracks. Story continues below advertisement Decades of underinvestment Singh declared a state of mourning and said all offices and educational institutions across the state would remain closed on Saturday. A witness told Indian television channel Times Now that relatives of some of the deceased were picking up dead bodies by themselves and no proper rescue operations were currently taking place. Bodies of victims lay strewn around the scene and local television stations showed distraught and angry people, including a weeping mother who just lost a child. “Lot of students were gathered here and we can see so many unknown bodies lying around and there is not even enough light here even now,” one person on the scene told a local channel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the train accident. “The tragedy is heart-wrenching,” he tweeted. “My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.” India’s state railways, largely built during colonial rule, have an appalling safety record after decades of underinvestment in rail safety infrastructure, as the priority has remained more on keeping fares low for the 23 million passengers who use the network daily. Story continues below advertisement Seven people were killed and 21 were injured earlier this month when nine coaches of the New Farakka Express derailed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.<doc-sep>
NEW DELHI: At least 59 people were killed and 72 injured on Friday when a speeding train ran over a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy. The tragedy took place at the Joda Fatak area where a large crowd had gathered to watch the fireworks. Here are the key developments:* Chief minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the train accident after visiting injured and kin of those killed in the tragedy. While addressing a press conference, Singh said that he has ordered immediate release of Rs 3 crore to DC Amritsar for payment of ex-gratia to the families of the deceased. * He said four weeks have been given to submit the report to find out who was at fault. The divisional commissioner of Jalandhar has been entrusted with the job of holding the inquiry* The CM had on Friday announced that the government will give Rs 5 lakh to kin of each deceased and free treatment to the injured in all the government and private hospitals. * Scores of people on Saturday staged a sit-in on the railway tracks where 59 people were mowed down by the train during Dussehra event. The protesters raised slogans against the state government and demanded action against the train driver. * Seven of the 70-odd people injured in the train accident are in critical conditions, officials said. The injured were admitted to different hospitals in Amritsar. Punjab Police officials said that the DMU (diesel multiple unit) driver was detained and was being questioned regarding the incident. Sources said that the driver claimed that he was given a green signal and had no idea that hundreds of people were standing on the tracks. * No action has, so far, been initiated against the organisers. * The railway board has said that the gathering of people on the rail tracks was trespassing and that railways wouldn’t hold any investigation into the incident. "It would be wrong to say that railways is responsible for this accident. There are two manned level-crossing on that track, both were close. It is the main line. There is no speed restriction. The railway administration was not informed about Dussehra celebration. People were watching Dussehra celebrations from railway tracks, they need to be more alert," railway board chairman Ashwani Lohani said. * Due to the train accident on Amritsar-Manawala section, 10 Mail Express trains and 27 passenger trains have been cancelled; 16 trains have been diverted. 10 Mail Express trains and two passenger trains have been short terminated and 6 Mail Express trains short originated. * Punjab Police commandos and Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed at the site of the train accident to manage the huge crowd. A heavy police deployment has been made to keep the situation in order. * Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu , who visited the Civil Hospital on Saturday morning, said, "It is a sad and an unfortunate incident. It is necessary to understand that it was an accident. There has been negligence but it was never intentional or motivated. "* Earlier today, Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore also visited the hospital and said that inquiry will be conducted and those who need to be punished will be punished and accountability will be fixed. * Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the loss of lives in the train accident and directed officials to provide immediate assistance. * All offices, educational institutions will remain shut on Saturday as Punjab has declared one-day mourning in view of the tragedy.UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed his condolences to the families and friends who died in the accident, terming the incident as "tragic". (With agency inputs)