Patna-Indore Express tragedy: Prez condoles loss of lives, wishes speedy recovery of injured

New Delhi [India], Nov. 20 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday condoled the loss of lives on account of derailment of the Indore-Patna Express near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and expressed hope that the state government is providing all possible assistance to the bereaved families. "I am sad to learn about the accident in which many have lost their lives and a number of persons are injured, when Indore-Patna Express ran off the tracks near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh," he said in his message to Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik. President Mukherjee said he is sure that the state government is providing all possible assistance to the bereaved families, who have lost their near and dear ones, as well as medical aid to the injured. "Kindly convey my heartfelt condolences to the family members of the deceased. I pray to the Almighty to give them the strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss. I wish speedy recovery to the injured persons," he added. Meanwhile, the death toll in the incident climbed to 91. Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu said he is constant touch with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, adding that they are working together to provide all relief. "I shall be rushing to the accident site to personally monitor the situation," he tweeted. At least 153 people have been injured and several bodies are still trapped under the wreckage of the mangled coaches after the train derailed early morning at the Hanshi-Kanpur intersection in Uttar Pradesh at 3.20 a.m. One army column, a team of doctors and paramedics have been deployed at the spot to help in the rescue operation. Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Varanasi and one NDRF team from Lucknow have been sent to the accident spot to assist in the rescue operation. Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha has ordered for a high-level probe into the incident. Almost 14 coaches of the train derailed in the wee hours today resulting in severe loss of lives. (ANI)