At least 2 persons were killed and 44 people were injured after 15 coaches of the Train no. 12988 Sealdah-Ajmer Express derailed between the Rura and Metha railway stations in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur city around 5:20 am on Wednesday morning.

The incident took place near Rura railway station, 70 km from here, when the train was crossing a bridge overhead a dry canal in the area, Northern Central Railways PRO Amit Malviya said.

The Delhi-Howrah route via Kanpur has been temporarily closed and the Shatabdi express from Delhi to Kanpur has been cancelled, Malviya said.

“A rescue team has rushed to the spot and a medical relief train from Kanpur has also been sent to the accident site. Currently we are focusing on relief and rescue operations,” Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

The Railways have issued the helpline numbers for Kanpur – 0512-2323015, 2323016, 2323018 and for Allahabad – 0532-2408149, 2408128.