Kalaburagi: Two women passengers were killed and eight others injured when a speeding Duronto Express from Secunderabad proceeding towards Lok Manya Tilak terminus in Mumbai (Train No 12220) derailed at Martur Railway Station, 20 kms away from Kalaburagi city in the early hours of Saturday. The victims have been identified as Jyothi Shankar (46) and Pushpalatha Harish (26) from Secunderabad.
Of the eight persons injured, Indian Navy personnel Abdul Ashraf Gaffar lost one of his legs in the accident. Others injured have been identified as Manik Reddy (62), Yadamma Manik Reddy (55), Srikant Kashinath (24), Ramakrishna Subba Reddy (40), Rajeeev Ramachandra (30), Lakshmi (50) and Bhaskar B Narasing (45). The condition of five passengers is said to be serious. They are being treated at a private nursing home in Kalaburagi city.
According to the Railway authorities the Duronto Express was running at a speed of around 110 km per hour and derailed seconds after passing the Martur Railway Station at around 2.40 am. While the first seven coaches from the engine passed, the next eight coaches including the pantry car, HA1, A1, A2, A3, B7, B8, and B9 derailed and the remaining coaches in the back were safe. At least three coaches including the pantry car were the worst affected. According to eyewitnesses, two coaches- B7 and B8 were dragged for a distance of about 500 metres after derailment. It was in the B8 coach that the victims and the injured were travelling.
According to the eyewitnesses, Pushpalatha, who was sleeping on the lower berth, was crushed as the coach derailed to the side she was sleeping and the coach was dragged for some distance. The worst affected was the B8 coach in which both the victims and the injured were travelling. The victims were part of the 22- member team from Rajdeep Associates in Secunderabad and were proceeding to Lonavala in Maharashtra on a three-day vacation.
Preliminary investigation by the police ruled out any sabotage. Additional Divisional Railway Manager of the Solapur Division of the Central Railways, Madhusudhan, who was among the first officers of the Railways to reach the spot around 4 am, said all arrangements were being made for the onward journey of the stranded passengers and part of the unaffected Duronto Express would be allowed to travel to Mumbai with some of the passengers. The remaining passengers who wished to return to Secunderabad or proceed to Mumbai would be sent by other trains.
Women were heading for a tour in Lonavla
When they left their home for the annual year end tour arranged by their company, little did they know that this would be their last journey. Both Pushpalatha (26) and Jyothi Shankar (46) were part of a 22 member team from the Hyderabad based company Rajdeep Group of Industries, which had arranged a trip for its employees to Lonavla. The company arranged such trips for its employees every year.
While Pushpalatha hailed from Nijampet village near Hyderabad, Jyothi, wife of P.S. Shankar, was a resident of Miapur in Hyderabad. Pushpalatha and Harish Babu had married only three years earlier.
A grief stricken Harish Babu, waiting for his wife’s body at the Kalaburagi government hospital, said, “At around 11 pm when I spoke to her, she told me that the train was about to leave. After that I did not speak to her. I came to know about the tragedy around 5 am”, he said.
In the case of Mrs Jyothi, her sons Yogesh (18) and Nitesh (17), came to Kalaburagi to collect her body, along with some of their close relatives. “I spoke to my mother at around 10.30 pm when had reached Secunderabad station. I did not expect this to be my last conversation with her,” Yogesh said.
Trains cancelled
Following the Duronto train derailment that claimed two lives, the Railways cancelled five trains, beside partially cancelling one train and terminating another train. Cancelled trains include Solapur-Bagalkot Passenger, Bagalkot-Gadag Passenger, Gadag-Bagalkot Passenger, Bagalkot-Solapur Passenger and Raichur-Vijapura Passenger. Vijayapura-Bolarum Passenger was also cancelled partially. Yeshwanthpur-Solapur Express was terminated at Wadi.
