Chennai-Palani Express derails near Dasampatty railway station, 4 staff suspended

Krishnagiri: The Chennai-Palani Express derailed near Dasampatty railway station in Krishnagiri district due to “wrong operation of instruments” by railway staff Thursday morning. An unreserved compartment jumped off the track, but passengers on board had a miraculous escape.

Four railway staff—Dasampatti railway station master, engine driver, supervisor and the traffic inspector, were placed under suspension for wrongly operating the block instrument which led to the derailment incident.

At around 2 am on Thursday, the passengers travelling in train No. 22651 Chennai Central Palani Express heading towards pilgrim town Palani from Chennai, woke up to an explosive noise as the train engine and three compartments derailed after crossing the Dasampatty railway station near Uthangarai.

Terrified passengers found three compartments lying off the track. “It was like an explosion on the train. In panic, I jumped out and found the train engine and three compartments next to the engine had derailed,” 42-year-old G.Prakash, a realtor of Palani, told DC.

Immediate rescue operations were carried out and the passengers of the train were taken to the Salem railway junction and alternative arrangements were made for their journey to Palani.

The divisional railway manager for the Salem division, Harish Shankar Verma,  who conducted an inquiry, said  preliminary investigations showed human error  had led to the accident.

According to Verma, the accident was caused because the block instrument that diverts the train on the right track was wrongly operated at the Dasampatty railway station

“The Palani express has derailed because the staff have wrongly operated the block instrument,” Verma told reporters after inspecting the accident spot.
Traffic in the section was restored around 5 am about  three hours after the accident. Several trains on the route were delayed due to the derailment.