Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh): At least 31 people were killed and around 150 others injured when the engine and two coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express derailed near Bachrawan Railway Station in the district on Friday.

Railways have ordered an inquiry and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those killed in the accident. While Rs 50,000 will be given to those injured seriously, Rs 20,000 will be given to people with minor injuries.

Divisional Commissioner Mahesh Gupta said more casualties are feared. According to preliminary reports, the locomotive driver apparently overshot the signal and as a result, the engine and two adjoining coaches derailed, Railway Spokesperson Anil Saxena said in Delhi.

As soon as the news of the accident spread, people from nearby villages rushed to the spot to help in rescue and relief operations. The villagers helped in extricating passengers trapped in the mangled coaches of the train.

The spot of the accident presented a devastated sight with one of the bogies reduced to a mangle of steel. Train movement on the Lucknow-Varanasi section of the Northern Railway has been disrupted due to the accident.

The injured passengers have been rushed to the district hospital. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs two lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has instructed Chairman Railway Board A K Mittal and Member Traffic Ajay Shukla to rush to the spot.

Railways is focusing on the relief and rescue operation and the injured persons have been shifted to the nearby hospital, the spokesperson said, adding, MoS Railway Manoj Sinha is also expected to rush to the site to monitor the operation.

Rescue teams from Lucknow and Rae Bareli have rushed to the spot and cranes have been deployed to lift the bogies.

The seriously injured would be sent to King George Medical University and Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences -- both in Lucknow. A trauma centre in KGMU was being kept ready to handle the injured passengers. Ambulances carrying teams of doctors have been rushed to the accident site to help the passengers who were seen screaming in pain.

Gas cutters were being arranged to cut open the crushed compartments to pull out passengers.

India’s railroad network is one of the world's largest and carries more than 23 million passengers each day. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.