Ministry of Railways
22-January, 2017 14:50 IST
Derailment of Jagdalpur - Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express near Rayagada in Andhra Pradesh
The derailment of Train No 18448 Jagdalpur - Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express took place at Kuneru Railway Station in Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh at Rayagada - Vizianagaram section at 2315 hrs on 21st January 2017.The accident site is at the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and is near Rayagada town in Odisha. The Accident site falls under Waltair Division of East Coast Railways. Engine and 9 coaches including one Passenger cum luggage coach, two Ordinary second class coaches, four sleeper class, one AC three tier coach and one AC two tier coach derailed.
As per available information, 36 are deceased, 23 sustained injuries in this unfortunate incident which included 7 grievously injured. They were admitted to hospitals. Some persons with simple injuries were discharged after the first aid. Medical relief train was rushed to the site. Ambulances were arranged. NDRF unit also rushed to the site.
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has expressed profound grief over the loss of innocent lives. It is a tragic and unfortunate accident. He has announced an enhanced ex-gratia payment of Rs. 2 lakhs for the kin of deceased persons, Rs. 50 Thousand for grievous injuries and Rs.25 Thousand in case of simple injuries. Statutory inquiry into this incident has been ordered to be conducted by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Central Circle, Shri Ram Kripal under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. He may visit the accident site later in the day.
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu rushed to the accident site along with Chairman Railway Board Shri AK Mital. Earlier, Member Rolling Stock Railway Board Shri Ravinder Gupta, Member Engineering Railway Board Shri Aditya Kumar Mittal rushed to the site.
Stranded passengers of the affected trains were later cleared towards their respective destinations through the unaffected portion of the train from Kuneru to Bhubaneswar via Rayagada - Sambalpur and 13 buses for short distance destinations like Brahmapur, Bhawanipatna, etc. The Railway Administration also arranged for water, tea, light snacks for the stranded passengers. Due to this accident, the traffic on Rayagada – Vizianagaram Section has been affected and Railways had to divert, short-terminate and cancel certain trains passing through this Section which are being notified by the respective Zonal Railways.
Senior Railway officials including General Manager, East Coast Railway Shri Umesh Singh and Divisional Railway Manager, Waltair Division Smt. Chandralekha Mukherjee are camping at the site to monitor the relief and rescue operations. Helpline Numbers were setup at the important stations along the route of the train.
***
AKS/MKV/AK
Vice President's Secretariat
22-January, 2017 14:52 IST
Vice President expresses grief over loss of lives in the train accident in Andhra Pradesh
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has expressed grief over loss of lives in the train accident in Andhra Pradesh. In a message he said that he is deeply grieved and shocked at the tragic loss of life and injuries to passengers resulting from the accident of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express.
Following is the text of Vice President's message:
"I am deeply grieved and shocked at the tragic loss of life and injuries to passengers resulting from the accident of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express.
I convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families and pray to the Almighty to give them strength and fortitude to withstand this immense loss. I also wish speedy recovery to the injured passengers."
***
Prime Minister's Office
22-January, 2017 09:33 IST
PM condoles the loss of lives due to the derailment of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express train
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has condoled the loss of lives due to the derailment of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express train.
“My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones due to the derailment of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express. The tragedy is saddening.
I pray for a speedy recovery of all those injured due to the train accident.
The Railway Ministry is monitoring the situation very closely and is working to ensure quick rescue and relief operations", the Prime Minister said.
***
Ministry of Home Affairs
22-January, 2017 12:22 IST
Train accident in Andhra Pradesh is extremely distressing: Union Home Minister
The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh has said that the news of train accident in Andhra Pradesh is extremely distressing and deeply pained over the loss of precious lives. He was reviewing the situation of the train accident in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh as eight coaches of Hirakund Express derailed last night. He expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.
The Union Home Minister said that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have already reached the spot to carry out rescue and relief operations. He further said that due care and diligence is being taken into consideration by NDRF teams as the victims might be trapped under the mangled bogies, the operation is still in progress. The Director General, NDRF is monitoring the situation round the clock and a 24x7 NDRF Control Room is in touch with Railway Authorities and local civil administration to render any kinds of assistance, he added.
***
