39 killed in Andhra rail accident

At least 39 passengers were killed and over 50 injured when the Hirakhand Express, plying from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh to Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, derailed near Kuneru railway station in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district late yesterday night, reports Hindustan Times from Hyderabad. The incident occurred around 11.20 pm, while the train was passing by Kuneru railway station. Apart from the engine, seven coaches – comprising the luggage van, two general compartments, two sleeper coaches, an AC three-tier coach and an AC two-tier coach – were derailed. While four coaches fell on an adjacent goods train, two sleeper coaches (S-8 and S-9) and a general coach were completely crushed.
“The rescue operation is almost over,” said JP Mishra, chief public relations officer for the East Coast Railway. “Our first priority is to take care of the injured passengers, and provide them with proper treatment by shifting them to hospitals. We are also searching all the coaches to make sure nobody is still trapped.”
Video footage from the scene showed local residents and members of the disaster management team trying to rescue trapped passengers, using their mobile phones for light. “People in the train’s three sleeper-class compartments were the worst affected,” said superintendent of police LKV Ranga Rao.
The injured were rushed to the Parvathipuram and Raigarh government hospitals.
Mishra said the reason for the derailment would be investigated, not ruling out the possibility of foul play. Maoist rebels are known to operate in the area.
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu expressed grief over the incident, and announced monetary compensation of Rs 2 lakh for relatives of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for the critically injured, and 25,000 for those with non-fatal injuries. Andhra government also announced Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of dead. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, currently visiting Switzerland, said this will be in addition to Rs 2 lakh announced by the railways. The compensation will be paid under Chandranna Bima, the state insurance scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the accident. “My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones in the derailment of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express. The tragedy is saddening,” he said in a tweet. Many trains had to be diverted, with debris of the ill-fated train blocking the Vijayanagaram-Singhpur route. District officials from both Vijayanagaram and Rayagada assisted in the rescue operations.

 

39 killed in Andhra rail accident

At least 39 passengers were killed and over 50 injured when the Hirakhand Express, plying from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh to Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, derailed near Kuneru railway station in Andhra Pradeshs Vizianagaram district late yesterday night, reports Hindustan Times from Hyderabad. The incident occurred around 11.20 pm, while the train was passing by Kuneru railway station. Apart from the engine, seven coaches comprising the luggage van, two general compartments, two sleeper coaches, an AC three-tier coach and an AC two-tier coach were derailed. While four coaches fell on an adjacent goods train, two sleeper coaches (S-8 and S-9) and a general coach were completely crushed. The rescue operation is almost over, said JP Mishra, chief public relations officer for the East Coast Railway. Our first priority is to take care of the injured passengers, and provide them with proper treatment by shifting them to hospitals. We are also searching all the coaches to make sure nobody is still trapped. Video footage from the scene showed local residents and members of the disaster management team trying to rescue trapped passengers, using their mobile phones for light. People in the trains three sleeper-class compartments were the worst affected, said superintendent of police LKV Ranga Rao. The injured were rushed to the Parvathipuram and Raigarh government hospitals. Mishra said the reason for the derailment would be investigated, not ruling out the possibility of foul play. Maoist rebels are known to operate in the area. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu expressed grief over the incident, and announced monetary compensation of Rs 2 lakh for relatives of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for the critically injured, and 25,000 for those with non-fatal injuries. Andhra government also announced Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of dead. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, currently visiting Switzerland, said this will be in addition to Rs 2 lakh announced by the railways. The compensation will be paid under Chandranna Bima, the state insurance scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the accident. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones in the derailment of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express. The tragedy is saddening, he said in a tweet. Many trains had to be diverted, with debris of the ill-fated train blocking the Vijayanagaram-Singhpur route. District officials from both Vijayanagaram and Rayagada assisted in the rescue operations.