Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the engine of the Sabarmati Express train hit an "object placed on the track" and derailed near Kanpur at 2.35 am on Saturday.
Twenty coaches of the Sabarmati Express passenger train derailed near Govindpuri station in Kanpur, rail officials said. There is no report of any loss of life or injury in the accident.
Vaishnaw, in a post on X, said, evidence related to the accident has been protected and the IB and the Uttar Pradesh Police are investigating it.
“The engine of Sabarmati Express (Varanasi to Amdavad) hit an object placed on the track and derailed near Kanpur at 02:35 am today," he said on X.
He added, “Sharp hit marks are observed. Evidence is protected. IB and UP police are also working on it. No injuries to passengers or staff. Train arranged for passengers for onward journey to Amdavad."
Rescue and relief operations at the site are underway, officials said.
Railway Board officials said involvement of miscreants or anti-social elements is being looked into as prima facie it appears that the engine hit an object placed on track.
"We found a foreign material near the 16th coach of the train. Looking at the size of the damaged portion of cattle guard of the engine, it seems that the engine hit this foreign object and derailed," an official said.
"The loco pilot said that some boulder hit the cattle guard (front portion) of the engine which got badly damaged and bent," another official said.
On same track at 1:20 am, a Patna-Indore train crossed uninterrupted, Railway Board officials said.
Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner GS Naveen Kumar said, "Buses have been arranged for the passengers along with alternative arrangements for transportation and all passengers have been evacuated from the spot."
According to the Railways, seven trains have been cancelled and three diverted due to the derailment.
