AGENCY
Kuneru: At least 39 people were killed and over 50 injured as the engine and nine coaches of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express jumped the tracks in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram District overnight with the railways suspecting sabotage behind the derailment, the third in as many months.
The East Coast Railway put the death toll at 39 with the casualties expected to rise as many bodies were feared trapped in the mangled coaches of the train which derailed around 11:00 PM on Saturday night when it was on its way to Bhubaneswar from Jagdalpur.
The engine and nine coaches of the train went off the track near Kuneru station, Chief PRO of East Coast Railway J P Mishra said.
Two AC coaches, four sleeper coaches, two general compartments and the guard-cum-passenger coach besides the locomotive of the train derailed.
While Railways suspect that tampering of the track near Kuneru station led to the derailment in the Naxal-prone zone, Odisha Police ruled out involvement of Maoists in the mishap.
According to railways, prima facie there was rail fracture which caused the derailment. But it has to be ascertained through whether the fracture was due to sabotage or because of negligence and lack of maintenance.
“The real cause will be known only after inquiry by the Commissioner Railway Safety,” Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said.
However, he said, “There are indications of foul play as a goods train passed the same track just two hours before the mishap. The inspection by the patrol team also found the track okay on Saturday.”
“The driver applied emergency brake after feeling a big jerk and heard a loud sound. The area is Naxal prone and the incident happened just ahead of Republic Day,” Saxena said.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who is closely monitoring the situation, has rushed to the accident site alongwith Chairman Railway Board A.K Mital to assess the situation at ground zero.
Railway Protection Force Director General S.K Bhagat, who is also rushing to the accident site, said, “Nothing can be ruled out right now. But the actual cause will be ascertained only after the inquiry.”
However, Odisha DGP K.B Singh said there was no indication of a Maoist hand.
“There is no indication of Maoist hand behind the derailment of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express,” he told reporters after attending a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident was saddening and said the Railway Ministry was monitoring the situation very closely and working to ensure quick rescue and relief operations.
