3 coaches of train derail, none injured

Bhubaneswar: A big tragedy was averted on Thursday when 3 coaches of the Chennai–New Jalpaiguri (MAS–NJP) Express (22611) derailed near Jakhapura station in Jajpur district. No major damage or loss of life was reported due to the incident, said East Coast Railway (ECoR) sources.The incident took place at 8.51 am on Thursday while the train was passing through Jakhapura yard. An AC coach and 2 general coaches derailed within yard limits. The train was moving at a very low speed at the time of the incident, said ECoR official sources.“No passenger was injured and there was no loss of life. Passengers from the affected coaches were suitably accommodated in other coaches of the train. The derailed coaches were detached from the train before it departed the spot at 10.55 am,” said the EcoR official statement.On receiving information, accident relief trains (ART) from Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road were dispatched. Accident Relief Medical Equipment (ARME) from Khurda Road was also sent to the site. Senior railway officials reached the location and supervised the restoration work and safety-related activities, said the official statement.Local police, RPF and the railway’s technical staff reached the spot to take stock of the situation. Senior officials of ECoR inquired into the matter. The cause of the derailment is yet to be ascertained. A helpline number was released for passengers and their kin after this incident occurred, said official sources.“We accommodated passengers of the three affected coaches in other coaches of the train. We added extra coaches to the train at Balasore to accommodate the passengers of the affected coaches,” said Deepak Rout, chief public relations officer, ECoR.Official sources said at least six major trains, including the Berhampur–Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express, the Bhubaneswar–New Delhi Rajdhani Express and the Tiruchirappalli–New Jalpaiguri Amrit Bharat Express, got delayed because of the incident. After the Chennai–New Jalpaiguri Express left, train services became normal. The rail line was not damaged, said a railway officer.“As the train was moving at a very low speed, no major problem occurred. The affected general coach trembled when the derailment occurred. The train bogies just went off-track, but it did not roll. Otherwise, a big accident would have happened,” said Priyajit Mandal, a passenger from West Bengal.