Three killed as train goes off track

The accident took place at Duwada, a little distance from Visakhapatnam. The train was at a steep curve near Gopalpatnam when the seven coaches derailed. But mounds of earth beside the track prevented the coaches from tilting completely and reduced the fatality. Railway officials gave the names of the deceased as M Prasad Rao, Birendra Jena and Sisir Jena. The injured were taken to the King George Hospital and the critical cases later referred to the private Seven Hills hospital. East Coast Railways Chief Public Relations Officer B K Mishra said 21 passengers were injured in the mishap, seven of them seriously.

“There might have been more injuries, mostly minor in nature, but we are referring to those who had been hospitalised”, Mishra said.

A special relief train and APSRTC buses were pressed into service to transport the stranded passengers to their destinations. However, trains services in the section have been disrupted with express trains either either diverted or cancelled. Railway officials said they would be able to clear the tracks by Wednesday.