Andhra Pradesh   

Gurudev Express accident: death toll rises to three

B. Madhu Gopal

Eight in critical condition; track restoration under way

VISAKHAPATNAM: The death toll in the accident involving the Nagercoil-Howrah Gurudev Express has risen to three with two more bodies being recovered from the derailed coaches on Tuesday. The dead were identified as: Veerender (18), Shashi Swain (35) (both from Orissa) and M. Prasada Rao (51) of Visakhapatnam.

Of the eight seriously injured, seven are undergoing treatment at the KGH and one was admitted to the NTR Hospital at Anakapalle.

The accident occurred about 1 km. after the train crossed the Duvvada railway station. The deaths and damage would have been much higher but for the presence of huge mounds of earth on either side of the track that prevented the coaches from falling on their sides.

East Coast Railway General Manager A. Khurana, who inspected the site on Tuesday, declined to comment on the cause of the accident saying that the Commissioner of Railway Safety would visit the site on Wednesday to make an assessment.

"Of the 13 seriously injured we shifted to various hospitals, one youth succumbed to his injuries. Veerender (18) was standing near the door when the coach fell on its side and he was crushed between the yellow rod, used as a support to board and alight the train, and the mound," said EMRI Regional Coordinator M.S.R. Swaroop. Another passenger who jumped out of the train fell and suffered grievous injuries on his chest.

Relief operations

The Railway authorities took up relief and restoration work on a war-footing. Divisional Railway Manager Indra Ghosh and Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Venugopal supervised the track restoration work.

"We have already cleared one line for movement of passenger traffic and the damaged track would be restored by Wednesday morning," Mr. Venugopal said. "A relief train has been sent to Howrah this morning [Tuesday] to clear the stranded passengers."

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