Utkal Express derailment: Five-member team from Odisha to visit spot today

Bhubaneswar: A five member team from Odisha will visit Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar district today to take stock of the situation at the spot where Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express derailed on Saturday evening.

The team led by State Commerce and Transport Minister Nrusingha Sahoo has been constituted by Odisha Government to oversee measures to be undertaken in case of casualties of any residents from Odisha in the train mishap.

The team also comprising Rajya Sabha member Pratap Deb, Parsuram Dhada, Muktikanta Mandal and Sukant Naik as members have also been directed to assist in health treatment for any injured if any.

Although the exact casualty details from Odisha are yet to be confirmed the state government has declared compensation for the victims of the mishap.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to kin of persons killed in accident and Rs 50,000 financial assistance for the injured.

As per the final reservation chart details, 99 people had boarded the train from various stations in Odisha. While 11 persons were travelling in tier 3 AC and 88 persons had booked tickets in Sleeper class.

Also Read: Utkal Express Derailment: Rescue operations completed, compensation declared

Earlier, 14 coaches of Puri Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express had derailed near Muzaffarnagar claiming 23 lives while injuring more than 125 persons.

The train was nearly three hours short of reaching its destination when the accident took place at around 5.46 pm yesterday.

Most of the injured are being treated at Muzaffarnagar district hospital, Muzaffarnagar Medical College and Meerut Medical College.

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