Kochi: In the biggest derailment in the region, the speeding Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Express derailed just before entering Karukutty railway station, 45 kms from Ernakulam, in the wee hours of Sunday. However, no one was seriously injured. A total of 12 coaches– S-3 to S-12, A1 and B1– of the 23-car rake derailed at 2.15 am throwing sleeping passengers off their berths. Many fell to the floor and even on top of co-passengers due to sudden jerking but the coaches stopped short of turning turtle and thus nearly 700 passengers in the affected coaches were miraculously saved.
A 57-year-old Thiruvananthapuram native Vijayamma suffered a minor injury to her shoulder. The railways ruled out sabotage saying a preliminary probe pointed towards a “rail fracture that caused separation of track”. A major tragedy was averted when an alert Station Master gave the warning signal to the locopilot of the Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram Super Fast, which was only minutes away from Karukutty station, asking it to halt at the outer station.
The train signal that was hit by one of the derailed bogies is seen along the tracks after the accident. The damaged signal led to trains within a five-km radius stopping on their tracks as Intermediate Block Signalling system was installed in the section.(Photo: SUNOJ NINAN MATHEW)
“Had I been a little late in giving the warning, it would have resulted in a major mishap since the derailed bogies fell on the downline too,” said Station Master Babu Varghese, a native of Perungalam, Poonjar. “We’ve got the fractured piece. Though we suspect it’s a case of rail fracture, a four-member committee headed by Chief Safety Officer John Thomas will probe the mishap. It will submit a report in a week. The investigation will also cover whether there was any defect in the coaches. In terms of repercussion, it’s the biggest derailment in the region,” said P.K. Mishra, additional general manager, Southern Railways, who flew in from Chennai and oversaw the rescue and relief operations.
The train was approaching the station at a speed of 70 kmph against a permitted 80 kmph after leaving Angamaly station. “Luckily the coaches did not overturn or capsize,” the officer said. Recounting the horrifying experience, Sajan Paul, a native of Ernakulam, said he woke up following a sudden jerk. “Clothes and luggage were strewn all over and out first instinct was to get out of the coach which had tilted to the right. There was complete darkness outside and it was raining,” he said. Joseph Nerikulam, a local resident, who was the first to reach the spot said, “We woke up hearing screams and rushed out to see the bogies lying on their side. Some commuters fell down in their bid to get out of the coaches.” Rail traffic through the section came to a standstill following the accident with over 21 trains cancelled and many others short terminated or rescheduled.
cops requesting onlookers not to crowd the site in order to enable rescue operations on Sunday. (Photo: SUNOJ NINAN MATHEW)
“Personnel were deployed and the affected rakes are being lifted and taken away from the track. Initially the Down Link line (towards Thiruvananthapuram) will be opened and the uplink too will be cleared for service by Monday morning. It will take a day for rail traffic to be back to normal,” the officer said. The railways arranged 43 vehicles, mainly KSRTC buses, and operated special trains in the Chalakudy-Mangalore section and Ernakulam-Kottayam Thiruvananthapuram section for the benefit of affected passengers within hours of the mishap.
