Twenty people were killed and more than 101 injured when nine bogies of the Kachiguda-Bangalore Express derailed in the wee hours near Kurnool in Hyderabad. The condition of six of the injured is said to be serious. The victims were admitted to hospitals in Guntakal and Gooty, 50 of them were released after being given first aid. Railway Minister Nitish Kumar today announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the accident, Rs 15,000 to those with major injuries and Rs 5,000 to those with minor injuries. The next of kin of the deceased will also get Rs 4 lakh as compensation. And a close shave RAIGANJ: An alert driver averted a major train accident on Saturday evening when he stopped the Radhikapur-Katihar Passenger after spotting broken fishplates near Bamunga flag station, a few kilometres from Raiganj. The N-E Frontier Railway sources said the train bound for Katihar in Bihar resumed its journey after an hour following the track repair. (PTI) Kumar said rescue operations have been completed and train service in the Dronachalam-Gooti section is likely to resume from tonight. He said Railway Safety Commissioner (RSC) and General Manager (GM) of South Central Railways (SCR) had supervised the relief and rescue operations. The Railway Minister said the cause of the accident is still not known and a piece of the broken track has been sent for forensic test. He refused to comment on the quality of material used before the inquiry report is out. Union Minister of State for Railways, Bandaru Dattatreya, who visited the site, did not rule out sabotage. Sources said the new rail line between Pendekallu and Gooty, the site of the mishap, was inaugurated just six months ago. General Manager S.N. Singla said: ‘‘According to preliminary reports the railway line has been found in two pieces. It appears to have been cut. Some people say it was broken. the RSC, SCR, is there and will file his report.’’ The train had left Hyderabad at 7 pm yesterday and the accident occurred around 1 am while it was passing over a small bridge. Three bogies near the engine were the worst-affected, which fell 25 feet down the bridge into a dried-up stream. One of these compartments was meant for unreserved passengers. The bogies climbed one on the other, and most of the dead were those travelling in them. The six bogies next to the capsized ones slipped off the rails but remained on the bridge.
