Bhubaneswar: At least three Railway employees were killed and four passengers hurt when the 18005 Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleshwari Express train caught fire and derailed after the train collided head-on with a track-maintenance engine in Odisha’s Rayagada district on Tuesday.
The engine and at least two coaches of the express train derailed due to the collision. Engines of the both the trains caught fire immediately, said witnesses.
The mishap occurred near the remote Gadabaguda village between Singapur and Keutaguda stations around 4:30om, a few minutes after the train left Rayagada station.
Earlier in the day, senior Railways officials had held a meeting about greater passenger safety in Bhubaneswar.
The three Railways employees killed in the mishap were identified as tower car technician Suresh, electrical section engineer Sagar and electrical technician Gauri Naidu. They had suffered severe burn injuries.
Sources said the train’s engine, luggage van and a general coach derailed after the collision, which led to the outbreak of a fire and the entire area was engulfed in smoke.
An ambulance and a fire brigade reached the spot along with rescue and technical teams of the Railways. The station masters of Singapur and Keutaguda stations were immediately placed under suspension for negligence of duty, said sources.
Senior Railways officials have left for the accident site to take stock of the situation. More details are awaited. A high-level inquiry was ordered to ascertain the reasons behind the accident, said Railways officials.
More details are awaited.
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