Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Three killed as train derails

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR MAY 25. Three persons were killed and 20 others injured when two bogies of the Pakala-Bellary passenger train (no. 287) derailed near the Venkatampalli railway station in Anantapur district this morning. After starting at Venkatampalli railway station at 9 a.m., the train was getting into the main track from the loop line when the two bogies from the rear derailed and ploughed through the track to a distance of 60 metres. One of the coaches overturned and rested on boulders.

An error of judgment by the keyman, who had to disjoint the loop line from the main track after the train had passed, was believed to be the cause of the mishap. The keyman was believed to have disjointed the track while the two bogies were still on the loop line. One of the dead was identified as Sheik Mohabub (28) of Pamidi in Anantapur district while two others -- a 30-year-old man and a 60-year woman -- were yet to be identified.

The Divisional Railway Manager at Guntakal, Carmelus, who visited the spot, said probe was being conducted from the angle of fatal mistake by the staff. The railway police registered a case against the station master, Chandrasekhar, and the keyman, Mahabub Pasha. The keyman was at large. Officials said the alert driver and the guard managed to stop the train and minimise the damage.

According to reports, soon after the mishap, residents of nearby Chintalampalli rushed to the spot and extricated those trapped in the bogies. The bodies of the three passengers who fell under the bogies were badly mutilated. The injured were admitted to the Railway hospital at Guntakal.

On learning about the mishap, the DRM rushed to the spot. The train left for Guntakal after leaving behind the damaged coaches.

The track was damaged to a distance of 40 metres and trains on the route were suspended for 24 hours. The Collector, Rajasekhar, and the SP, Anil Kumar, visited the spot.

Our Hyderabad special correspondent adds: Expressing grief over the death of the three passengers, the Union Minister of State for Railways, Bandaru Dattatreya, ordered an enquiry by the commissioner of Railway Safety of South Central Railway. The Minister announced an ex gratia of Rs. 1 lakh each to the families of the deceased and the dependents of the deceased can approach the Railway Claims Tribunal for further compensation, according to a press release.

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