Nine passengers die in train derailment near Bengaluru

Ernakulam inter-city express jumps tracks, driver blames falling boulder but authorities do not find it

GN Bureau | February 13, 2015


#railways   #accident   #deaths train   #suresh prabhu   #bengaluru   #ernakulam  

Days before railway minister Suresh Prabhu presents his budget, nine passengers were killed and 16 seriously injured when nine bogies of the Ernakulam-bound Express train from Bengaluru derailed  on Friday morning near the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, about 45 kms from Bengaluru.  Five men, three women and a 9 year-old are among those killed in the mishap.

The Bangalore-Ernakulam Inter City Express train had left Bengaluru at 0615 hrs and derailed at 0735 hrs between Anekal Road and Hosur on Bangalore City-Salem Section.  Bengaluru’s divisional railway manager Anil Kumar Agarwal informed that rescue operation had been completed.

Suresh Prabhu said in a tweet soon after the accident that a boulder fell on the track and the train hit it. Prabhu said an inquiry had been ordered to fix responsibility and for corrective action to prevent such unfortunate accidents. He said he was monitoring "action" regularly.

Agarwal said the engine driver had told authorities that he heard a rumbling sound of a boulder but the officials did not find any.

Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Lalrokhuma Pachau said 16 passengers had been hospitalised, adding, "the rest of those with minor injuries were given first aid and they have left the place."

Railway police Additional Director General of Police R P Sharma said 25 passengers had received minor injuries.

Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who was asked by Prabhu to rush to the accident site, said nine coaches had derailed. The injured had been taken to hospitals in Anekal and Bengaluru, he said.

Helpdesks have been set up at Bangalore City Railway Station and at the accident site.

Helpdesk numbers in Bengaluru city:  BSNL Nos: 080-22371166,  080-22156553, 080-22156554
Mobile Nos:  09731666751

Thiruvananthapuram 0471-2321205, 2321237, 09746769960; Ernakulam junction 0484-2100317, 0813699773, 09539336040; Ernakulam town 0484-2398200; Thrissur 0487-2424148, 2430060,
Railways 0484-2624143 and accident site number is 9448090599.

Comments

 

Other News

Climate actions being implemented to deal with impact of heat waves

India’s climate actions cut across various sectors and are being implemented through various programs and schemes of different union ministries, departments and state/ union territory governments.  The government of India through concerned ministries and departments organises workshops, exhibiti

Banks must hear borrowers before declaring their accounts as frauds: SC

In a judgment with far-reaching implications, the Supreme Court has held that the civil consequences of an account being declared as fraud under the Reserve Bank of India (Frauds Classification and Reporting by Commercial Banks and Select FIs) Directions, 2016 or its Master Directions on Fraud amount to ci

India’s forest cover increases by 5,516 sq km in four years

The Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest cover biennially since 1987 and the findings are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the latest ISFR 2021, there is a

Steps taken to meet higher power demand of April-May

While the average growth of energy requirement in the country for 2023-24 viz-a-viz 2022-23 has been estimated as 4.9%, the months of April and May have been projected as high demand period. During the current year, the peak demand is expected to be around 229 GW during the summer period. The government ha

Millets to make comeback in army ration after half a century

As the UN has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Indian Army has steered introduction of millets flour in the rations of soldiers. This landmark decision will ensure troops are supplied with native and traditional grains after over half a century, when these were discontinued in favour

Central Bank Digital Currency has game-changing potential

When discussing digital currency, you might think of one or two well-known varieties. There is the digital representation of currency that you access with mobile and online banking services. This currency is the liability of a commercial bank. There is also cryptocurrency, a digital medium of exchange issu

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook    Twitter    Google Plus    Linkedin    Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter