Hyderabad: As many as 15 people were injured when two slow-moving trains collided at Kacheguda Railway station in Hyderabad on Monday.
The Lingampalli-Falaknuma multi-modal transport system (MMTS) and the Kurnool-Secunderabad Hundry Intercity Express (17028) collided at 10:30 am, resulting in injuries to the 15.
The pilot of the MMTS train was trapped in his cabin, which was badly mangled, and efforts were on to rescue him. He sustained severe injuries, and oxygen and other life-saving medical aid were being provided to him.
A senior official of the SCR said they were using cutters to rescue the driver. The accident occurred as the MMTS train apparently overshot the signal, they said.
"Six coaches of the MMTS service and three coaches of the Hundry Express have been damaged. The 12 passengers were rushed to Osmania General Hospital, of whom two were discharged," the SCR said in a press release.
Senior officials of the SCR, along with medical and accident relief vans, undertook relief and restoration work, it said.
Following the accident, one train was cancelled and another was diverted while five more have been partially cancelled.
Padmavathy, a woman passenger of the MMTS, said the commuters felt a big jolt as the train was nearing Kacheguda station. "Several passengers hit their heads and knees with the opposite seats resulting in bleeding," she said. A high-level inquiry into the accident would be held, the SCR said.
The Railway Department is yet to ascertain the details of how the accident took place. According to officials, the MMTS driver moved the train before the signal was given. The MMTS train, ideally, was supposed to take diversion onto another track, to pave way for the intercity train coming from the opposite direction.
A few officials also hint that there could have been a technical glitch in the signal, which is why the MMTS train was not diverted and ended up on the same track.
However, a high level inquiry into the incident has been ordered by the South Central Railway.
“I got the signal to move- which is when I started the train at a very low speed. Information was sent to assistant and the guard- to start the train. I saw the MMTS coming in the opposite direction and I immediately gave an emergency signal. Had I been on full speed- the accident would have been a much bigger one,” K.Balakrishniah, intercity train driver said.
More than three teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Response Force have been part of the rescue operations.
Commenting on the mishap, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted: "Received the tragic news of the train accident in Hyderabad & immediate instructions have been given to the authorities for assistance & monitoring.
Railway administration is extending assistance & have made arrangements for the treatment of the injured at the accident site."
Comments
0 comment