At least 14 people sustained injuries when 12 coaches of the Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express derailed near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh of India in the early hours of today.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident near Rooma railway station, around 20 km from Kanpur, around 12.50 am. Four out of the 12 derailed Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches overturned, PTI quoted North Central Railway public relations officer Amit Malviya as saying.

According to railway officials, three of  14 injured people have been admitted to a hospital. A statement issued by the Railways said coaches S8, S9, B1-B5, A1, A2, HA1, pantry car and an SLR (seating cum luggage rake) were derailed.

The district magistrate and senior superintendent of police, besides other senior officials, reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation.

"The administration, police and the locals, who were the first responders, have done an wonderful job by rushing the victims to hospitals in a short span of time after a such a major accident," am official from the National Disaster Response Force told reporters.

Recounting the incident, a passenger told PTI that there was a loud sound and everyone fell off their seats. Another passenger said he got out of one of the windows.

The railway statement said the passengers were brought to the Kanpur Central railway station, from where they were sent to New Delhi in a special train at 5.45 am.

The authorities diverted and cancelled a number of trains.

The Railways has issued helpline numbers — 1072, 9454403738, 9454401463, 9454401075, 9454400384 and 0512-23333111/112/113.

The train was said to be running at a speed of 100 km per hour, and the cause of the derailment is yet to be ascertained.

Railway Ministry spokesperson Smita Vats Sharma said in Delhi: "No casualties, no serious injuries. All the passengers have been evacuated. An Accident Relief Train (ART) and Accident Relief Medical Equipment (ARME) were dispatched to the accident site. The main route has been impacted due to the derailment."

Copyright: The Statesman/ Asia News Network