At least 25 persons were killed, and over 50 hurt, when the Bangalore-bound Hampi Express collided with a stationary goods train, in Anantapur district.
At least 25 persons were killed, and over 50 passengers injured, when the Bangalore-bound Hampi Express collided with a stationary goods train near Penukonda station in Anantapur district, in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to police, Train No. 16591, Hampi Express, travelling from Hubli to Bangalore, collided with the stationary Mysore New Goods Terminal (MNGT) goods train at 3:10 am, on Track No. 2, at a distance of 100 metres from the Penukonda railway station towards the east. The bogie behind the engine caught fire on impact.
As many as 21 bodies were recovered till 11:45am, and it was feared that some more bodies could have been inside the mangled coaches. 8 bodies were pulled out of the general coach, and 13 from the SLR-cum-luggage-coach just after the engine. The bodies in the SLR coach were charred, and were taken out after the bogies were cut with gas cutters, and with the help of cranes from Bangalore.
Twelve 108 ambulances were pressed into service.
The police said that around 15 injured people were also rescued and taken to Penukonda Government Hospital, and to Hindupur and Bangalore. One man succumbed to injuries at Pavugada Hospital in Karnataka.
According to Harinath Reddy, the Deputy Superintendent of the Government Railway Police in Guntakal, most of the victims of the accident were labourers from Hubli and Hospet in Karnataka, who were on their way to Bangalore.
The deceased include at least 3 women and 2 children, he added.
Railway Board Members K K Srivastava (Traffic) and Keshav Chandra (Mechanical) also left for the spot. Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle) S K Mittal will conduct a statutory inquiry, and has been asked to submit a report at the earliest.
Railway Minister Mukul Roy, who is on his way to the accident site, ordered an inquiry into the collision. and has also offered to arrange Railway jobs for those injured.
"If anybody injured wants to join the Railways, we will provide him or her with jobs," he said.
The minister also announced compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased, Rs. 1 lakh for those who sustained serious injuries, and Rs. 50,000 for those with minor injuries.
"Every life is precious. This is a very sad incident," Roy said.
Railways spokesperson Anil Saxena said that according to preliminary information available, the driver of the Hampi Express overshot the signal and rammed the rear of a stationary goods train.
"Prima facie it seems that the driver of the Hampi Express overshot the signal," he said.
Saxena said that the engine and the first 3 coaches of the Hampi Express were the worst hit.
"The first bogey is the guard-cum-luggage-cum-passenger coach; the second and third are general compartments. While the first and the third coaches derailed, the second remained on the tracks," he said.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who rushed to the accident site, expressed shock and anguish over the ghastly train accident, and directed the district collector, the superintendent of police, and the district administration, to rush to the spot and take up relief and rescue measures. The CM extended his condolences to the bereaved family members.
Chief Secretary Pankaj Dwivedi is closely monitoring the situation, and is in constant touch with Railway officials and the district administration.
Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, who also rushed to the accident site, has announced a compensation of Rs. one lakh each for the families of those killed, and Rs. 25,000 for those injured.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against the driver of the express train, and against his assistant. Both have been injured in the accident, and are currently recovering in a hospital.
A relief train with medical supplies, and a special train, were sent from Bangalore to Penukonda, to help the injured. Stranded passengers have now begun arriving at the Bangalore city railway station. While some of them reached Bangalore in the special train, others were brought to the city by bus.
As a result of the accident, many Bangalore-bound trains travelling via Andhra Pradesh were delayed for about 3 hours. The trains that were delayed included the Secunderabad-Bangalore Express and the Delhi-Bangalore Rajdhani. Trains on the Bangalore-Mumbai route also faced minor delays.
The Railway authorities have announced the following helpline numbers: Bangalore - 080-2232-1166, 080-2215-6553, 080-2215-6554; Bellary - 08392-27704; Hospet - 08394-221788; Hubli - 0836-2345-338, 0836-2346141, 0836-2289826. (INN)