Vizianagaram: The derailment of the Jagdalpur-Junagarh Road-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express near Kuneru railway station under Komarada mandal in Vizianagaram district (about 180 kms from Vizag city) on Saturday night under Waltair Division was the division’s worst train accident in the past few years.
Earlier, on November 3, 2013, a speeding passenger train ran over passengers from Bokaro (13352) Express that was waiting on an adjacent track. The passengers jumped out of the train after rumours spread that S-1 Coach of the Alappuzha-Dhanbadh Bokaro Express they were in had caught fire.
Nine persons including three from a family were killed at Gotlam, around 8 kms from Vizianagaram town, under Waltair Division. We have not seen such an incident under Waltair Division for a long time because we have taken up many safety measures, says DRM of Waltair Division of East Coast Railway, Chandralekha Mukherjee. It was the biggest railway tragedy under Waltair Division as it has claimed 39 lives so far.
The death toll may rise as seven injured passengers were in a critical condition battling for life in hospitals. The incident occurred on Saturday night in between 11.15 pm and 11.20 pm. It triggered panic among passengers on the train as well people living around the railway station. Prasad Das, one of the passengers in the S-6 coach on the train said that the incident took place while he was sleeping. He felt as if the train had hit another train on the track as the huge noise and commotion created a confused atmosphere at the spot. “When I got down, I started hearing the heart-rending cries of injured passengers”, he added.
Soon after the accident thousands of people living in the surrounding areas thronged the site.
The security personnel had a tough time keeping them away from the restoration works. The railway officials request to keep out of the swing area of the crane also fell on deaf ears as people were curious to see the accident spot. Petty vendors also did a good business due to the crowd.
