As many as 28 persons were injured, one of them seriously, when the Hubli-Miraj Passenger Train (No. 51420) derailed near Karikatti Cross between Suladhal and Sulebhavi railway stations on Monday evening.
Twenty-four of the injured were shifted to the district government hospital, while four were taken to private hospitals in the city.
Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa, who arrived here at 9 p.m., visited the hospital at 10 p.m. He announced a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs. 25,000 for those who suffered minor injuries. The compensation would be distributed after the Deputy Commissioner submitted a list of the injured victims and the nature of their injury.
According to Railway officials, the train derailed at 5.19 p.m. near Karikatti Cross. First information about the accident reached the control room at 5.30 p.m.
In addition to the engine, four of the eight coaches derailed. Trains passing through Belgaum and Suladhal were stopped at Belgaum and Ghataprabha.
Ambulances (108 services) and NWKRTC buses were pressed into service to shift the injured to hospitals.
However, due to rain and slush around the spot, the rescue teams faced difficulty in shifting the injured. The rescue team took more than an hour to rescue Ramappa Balappa Hadimani (35), a gangman in the Railways. He was travelling by the same train.