At least 27 dead as Hirakhand Express derails in AP, over 100 injured
The incident took place around 11 pm yesterday when the train was on its way to Bhubaneswar from Jagdalpur.
Bhubaneswar: At least 27 people were killed and over 100 were believed to be injured after nine coaches of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express derailed in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh, officials said on Sunday.
The incident took place around 11 PM yesterday when the train was on its way to Bhubaneswar from Jagdalpur.
The engine and nine coaches of train no 18448 Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express went off the track near Kuneru station, Chief PRO of East Coast Railway J P Mishra told PTI.
So far, 27 passengers have been confirmed dead by a team of doctors that rushed to the spot, said Mishra.
Rayagada Sub-collector Muralidhar Swain said that the number of injured could be around 100. The casualty figure may go up as many people are trapped, he added.
District administration of both Vizianagaram and Rayagada are taking active part in rescue operations, said Mishra.
The train had 22 coaches.
Services were affected on Rayagada and Vijayanagaram route, with at least 3 trains cancelled and 8 others diverted. 13 unaffected coaches including luggage-cum-guard van left for Rayagada and they will proceed to Bhubaneswar via Sambhalpur-Angul route. If necessary, extra coaches will be added at Rayagada, Mishra said.
Railways have tied up with Parvatipuram bus depot to arrange for transport. 5 buses have already been arranged to take the passengers towards Palasa and Berhampur areas.
A total of 15 buses are being arranged to take the stranded passengers to their respective destinations.
Over 10 ambulances have been deployed to take the injured to hospital .
At Parvatipuram govt hospital, 22 injured people were taken for treatment from where 7 were referred to Visakhapatnam. 32 were taken to Rayagada district hospital, Mishra said. Reports from Rayagada district headquarters hospital said many of the passengers had sustained grievous injuries and their conditions were critical.
The death toll is likely to increase. General Manager of East Coast Railway Umesh Singh has left for the accident site to take stock of the situation.
At Rayagada, helpline numbers were issued. The helpline numbers are 06856-223400, 06856-223400, 06856-223500, 09439741181 and 9439741071.
Similarly, Visakhapatnam railway station authorities issued helpline numbers.
The numbers are 0891-2746344, 08991-2746344 and 0891-2746300. Khurda Division also released 0674-2490670 as its helpline number. According to East Coast Railway authorities at least four relief vans have been sent to the spot.