Kuneru, Jan. 22: At least 39 people were killed and 69 injured when engine and nine coaches of Jagdalpur -Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express jumped the tracks in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district with the railways suspecting sabotage behind the derailment, the third in as many months.
The engine and nine coaches of the Bhubaneswar-bound train went off the track near Kuneru station around 11 PM last night, Chief PRO of East Coast Railway J P Mishra told PTI.
39 people have died while 69 were injured. Seven passengers were critical while 20 left for their destinations after treatment, officials said.
Rescue operation was almost over, the Divisional Railway Manager office said this evening, adding they don't expect to find any more bodies in the mangled coaches.
Two AC coaches, four sleeper coaches, two general compartments and the guard-cum-passenger coach besides the locomotive of the train were affected and four of these coaches had overturned.
Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said there are indications of foul play as a goods train passed the same track just two hours before the mishap, which occurred in the Naxal-prone zone just ahead of the Republic Day.
However, 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," Saxena said.
"There are indications of foul play as goods train passed the same track just two hours before the mishap. The inspection by the patrol team also found the track okay yesterday," he said
"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.
Home Ministry sources said it may ask the NIA to see if the derailment was a subversive act. "The NIA can expand the scope of their ongoing probe," they said.
The National Investigation Agency is looking into the claims of three arrested persons that the derailment of Indore-Patna express on November 20, 2016 in which at least 150 people were killed, was carried out at the behest of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu rushed to the accident site along with Chairman Railway Board A K Mital and announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh for the families of the victims, most of whom were from Odisha.
Railway Protection Force Director General S K Bhagat 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 is no indication of Maoist hand behind the derailment". He was speaking after attending a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.
IANS adds:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday condoled the death of 36 persons in a train accident in Andhra Pradesh.
"My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones due to the derailment of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express. The tragedy is saddening," Modi tweeted.
"I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured," he said.
Rajnath Singh said the accident was "extremely distressing" and said he was deeply pained over the loss of lives.
He said National Disaster Response Force teams had reached the spot to carry out rescue and relief operation.
Gandhi expressed her "expressed deep anguish and shock".
"Deeply saddened by the loss of lives," she tweeted.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said: "My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost loved ones. "The government must take steps to ramp up railway safety as an urgent priority," he said on Twitter.
Over 50 others were injured when the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express derailed at 11.30 p.m. on Saturday near Kuneru station. It was on way to Bhubaneswar from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.
At least 39 people were killed and 50 others injured when the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express derailed in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district on Saturday night. Here are some major train accidents taking place in the country in the recent times and their death figures:
* December 28, 2016: Two passengers were killed and over 65 injured when 15 coaches of Sealdah-Ajmer Express derailed near Rura, 50 km from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
* November 20, 2016: 149 people were killed and over 300 injured when 14 coaches of Patna-Indore Express derailed near Pukhrayan station, close to Kanpur.
* August 4, 2015: 25 people were killed and 25 others injured as bogies of Mumbai-Varanasi Kamayani Express derailed and fell into Machak river between Khirkiya and Bhirangi stations in Harda district of Madhya Pradesh. Minutes later, the Janata Express, coming from the opposite direction, also derailed at the same spot.
* March 20, 2015: 39 people were killed and 150 injured as Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli.
* May 4, 2014: 20 passengers died and 100 others were injured as Diva Junction-Sawantvadi passenger train derailed between Nagothane and Roha stations in Raigad district of Maharashtra.
* May 26, 2014: 25 people were killed and over 50 others injured as Gorakhpur-bound Gorakhdham Express rammed into a stationary goods train near Khalilabad station in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
