42 hurt as train derails in Madhya Pradesh, traffic disrupted for over 14 hours

Forty-two passengers were injured, three seriously, when the Mumbai-Pratapgarh Udyognagri Express derailed near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh early today, disrupting rail traffic for over 14 hours.

The Pratapgarh-bound train derailed around 6.20am near Sourai, 6km from Vidisha , district collector (Vidisha) CB Singh told PTI.

While three bogies of the train overturned, four others jumped the rails disrupting traffic on both up and down lines between Bhopal and New Delhi, he said.

Movement of trains on the affected line could not be resumed even 14 hours after the derailment, he said, adding, trains were allowed to pass using a parallel line.

Some of the derailed bogies slid down the tracks as the accident site was at a height, railway officials said.

The seriously injured persons were referred to Bhopal's Hamidia Hospital while the remaining were admitted in the Vidisha District Hospital, the collector said.

All three seriously injured are women - Kamla Ramchandran, Sushma Devi and Nirmala Verma.

Meanwhile, an inquiry has been ordered into the mishap and the railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs1,00,000 to the seriously injured passengers and Rs25,000 to those with simple wounds.

"PK Vajapyee, commissioner railway safety, Lucknow division, will conduct the inquiry and submit the report at the earliest," a railway ministry spokesperson said.