Hirakhand Express Derails In Vizianagaram, Identifying Bodies A Tough Task

32 people are known to be killed and 54 believed to be injured after the Hirakhand Express (Jagdalpur – Bubhaneswar Express) derailed in Vizianagaram on Saturday night. The train that was on its way to Bubhaneswar to Jagdalpur had its engine and seven coaches derail near the Kuneru station.

Amongst the derailed contain, the engine, luggage van, two general coaches, two sleeper coaches, one AC three tier and one AC two tier coaches. The Chief PRO of East Coast Railway JP Mishra confirmed the same to PTI while Rayagada Sub-collector Muralidhar Swain said that the number of injured could also be 100.

The train movement is now paralysed between Rayagada and Vizianagaram. 13 special buses were deployed yesterday to transport stranded passengers to places in Odisha. Nearly 600 passengers have been shifted in special passenger train and buses. The East Coast Railway has now announced the cancellation of seven trains in the aftermath. Seven more have been short terminated and ten diverted.

It is reported that survivors who reached Sambalpur in a special train yesterday are finding it hard to recover from the tragedy. There are many who managed to wiggle out of coaches after the derailment and there were some who weren’t as fortunate. Bodies of those who died keep arriving to the Rayagada headquarters yesterday. Many of these bodies are so badly injured they haven’t even been identified. The bodies identified have been handed over to their relatives and those not will be preserved for a few days.