The Railways suspect rail fracture as the probable cause of the derailment of the Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express on Sunday morning that left at least seven dead and scores injured.

“Prima facie cause of Seemanchal Express accident is rail fracture of CMS  X-Ing at Barauni end of station yard,” Rajesh Kumar, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the East-Central Railway, was quoted as saying by ANI.

The exact reason behind the accident will be unearthed after the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) concludes its investigation into the derailment.

Eleven coaches of the train went off the rails before dawn near Sahadai Buzurg in Vaishali district at a time when most passengers were deep in sleep.

Kumar said that the 12 unaffected coaches are being moved to Hajipur where more coaches will be attached before the train moves to its original destination at Anand Vihar Terminal railway station (ANVT) near New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were among those who expressed grief at the loss of lives.

“Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to the derailment of coaches of the Seemanchal Express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Railways, NDRF, and local authorities are providing all possible assistance in the wake of the accident,” wrote PM Modi on Twitter.

Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to the derailment of coaches of the Seemanchal Express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Railways, NDRF, and local authorities are providing all possible assistance in the wake of the accident.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 3, 2019

“Deeply pained to learn about the train tragedy in Bihar. My thoughts are with the affected families. Requesting local Congress workers to extend all possible help to the families of the affected,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

बिहार में हुए रेल हादसे से बहुत आहत हूँ|

पीड़ित परिवारों के प्रति मैं अपनी गहरी शोक और संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूँ।

स्थानीय कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं से अनुरोध है कि दुर्घटना से प्रभावित परिवारों की हरसंभव मदद करें।#seemanchalexpress

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 3, 2019

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also directed the state administration to provide all assistance in the rescue and relief operation.

He announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

A statement from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal’s office said that the Minister is in touch with Railway Board members and GM ECR regarding the accident.

The Indian Railways also announced that ex gratia Rs 5 lakh each will be given to the kin of the deceased while Rs 1 lakh would be given to the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 to those who have suffered simple injuries. The Railways will also bear medical expenses.

Read More: Seven killed as 11 coaches of Delhi-bound train derail in Bihar

Rajesh Kumar said that one general coach, one AC coach (B3), three sleeper coaches (S8, S9, S10) and four more coaches derailed between 3-4 am near Shadai Buzurg railway station in Vaishali district.

The train, number 12487, was running at full speed when it derailed.

Officials fear that the death toll might increase as many are still trapped inside the derailed coaches.

Locals were the first to respond to the accident site. People were seen trying to rescue those trapped inside the derailed coaches before a massive rescue operation was launched involving personnel from NDRF and police.

NDRF personnel went in through broken windows to scan the insides of the overturned coaches for those trapped. Sniffer dogs, too, were deployed to help in the rescue mission.

#NDRF #TrainAccident #SeemanchalExpress #Evacuation pic.twitter.com/0zx1A0wdXh

— NDRF (@NDRFHQ) February 3, 2019

The teams of doctors were rushed from nearby Sonpur and Barauni.

The Railways has also issued help line numbers – Sonpur 06158221645, Hajipur 06224272230 and Barauni 06279232222.

For information the train accident of 12487 Seemanchal Express, contact following Help line numbers :

Sonpur 06158221645
Hajipur 06224272230
Barauni 06279232222
Patna
06122202290/91/92.

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) February 3, 2019

This is the second major train derailment in two days. On Friday, the Dayodaya Express derailed between Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur and Rajasthan’s Ajmer near Jaipur on Friday. No passenger was, however, injured in the accident.