Derailments have dominated Suresh Prabhu's tenure as Railway Minister

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Indicating his willingness to resign, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday tweeted that he was taking "full moral responsibility" for the two train derailments that have taken place this week.

Prabhu said that he had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had asked him to "wait".

Last Saturday, the Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express derailed near Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh, claiming the lives of 23 and injuring 70. On Wednesday, the Kaifiyat Express derailed near Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh leaving at least 74 hurt.

The recent derailments are not isolated incidents. According to railway ministry data, accessed from Rajya Sabha replies, and Railways’ publications, there were over 450 railway accidents between 2013 and 2017.

During Suresh Prabhu’s tenure as the railway minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, the death toll in train accidents rose to 292 in 2014-15, compared to 152 in 2013-14. The number dipped to 122 in 2015-16 before soaring up to 238 in the following year.

Here are some of the deadliest train accidents that have happened under Prabhu's guard:

February 2015 - Anekal derailment

Nine coaches of the Ernakulam-bound Intercity Express derailed close to Anekal near Bangalore. The broken rail resulted in the death of 10 individuals, while more than 150 were injured.

March 2015 - Janata Express derailment

The Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express derailed near Bachhrawan in Uttar Pradesh. The accident caused the death of 58 people and left more than 150 people injured.

August 2015 - Harda twin train derailment

Two trains - Kamayani Express and Janata Express - derailed near Bhringi station close to Harda in Madhya Pradesh.

The accident happened after flash floods dislodged a culvert, causing the track to misalign. While some coaches of the derailed Kamayani Express were submerged in the Machak River, other coaches blocked the adjacent railway line. This resulted in the Janata Express derailing there soon after.

The accident claimed 31 lives and injured at least 100 others.

November 2016 - Kanpur derailment

As many as 14 carriages of the Indore-Patna Express derailed close to Kanpur. The derailment claimed 150 lives and injured more than 150 others, making it one of the worst railway accidents in India, ever.

While the accident is still under investigation, the authorities suspect it to an act of terror.

January 2017 - Kunera derailment

On January 21 this year, the Hirakhand Express travelling from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar derailed near Kunera, Andhra Pradesh close to the Odisha border. The accident killed 41 people and injured 68 others.

Among these 459 accidents over last four years, 255 were due to derailment of train coaches. In 2016-17 alone, 193 people died in 78 derailment accidents across India.