A passenger train which was traveling between Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh state to Bhuvaneshawar in Orissa, India, derailed in southern India, in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, killing at least 32 people and injuring 50 others. Seven coaches of the Hirakand Express were thrown off the tracks around midnight Saturday, some landing on a goods train that was on a parallel track.
Rescuers battled to pull survivors from the wreckage of the train crash. The government officials as well as emergency workers worked through the night in a bid to locate survivors. J. P. Misra, the chief press officer of the East Coast Railways, said that the toll could rise further as many people were still trapped. “The case was under investigation and would not rule out any angle including sabotage,” he added. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced compensation of Rs. 2 lakh each for the kin of those killed and Rs. 50,000 for injured, a railway official said. Services were affected on Rayagada and Vizianagaram route, with at least three trains cancelled and eight others diverted. India’s railway system is the world’s third largest. However, it has not modern signaling and communication systems. Another bad aspect is the poor maintenance of tracks and equipment.
