Mumbai-Bhubaneswar Lokmanya Tilak Express derails: 25 injured, helplines setup

At least 25 persons were injured as eight coaches of Mumbai-Bhubaneswar Lokmanya Tilak Express derailed and hit a goods train on Thursday morning near Cuttack in Odisha.

The incident

The mishap took place around 7 am after the 12879 LTT Superfast Express hit the guard van of the goods train.

The collision took place between Salagaon and Nergundi stations, causing derailment of eight coaches of the passenger train, East Coast Railway (ECoR) Spokesperson J P Mishra said.

“While five coaches derailed, three other partially displaced from the tracks,” he said.

Spot visuals- Eight coaches of Mumbai-Bhubaneswar Lokmanya Tilak Express derails, after hitting a freight train between Salagaon and Nergundi stations in #Cuttack district due to dense fog. No casualty, over 40 injured. #Odisha pic.twitter.com/LUviwTfSpc

— Tazeen Qureshy (@TazeenQureshy) January 16, 2020

At least 25 injured

Around 25 passengers were injured and five of them suffered severe injuries in the accident.

“The injured passengers were taken to a local hospital and five of them with serious injuries were later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack,” he said.

The rescue operation was initially hampered due to foggy conditions. However, all necessary steps have been taken to provide proper assistance to the passengers, officials said.

Although a preliminary inspection has hinted at ‘heavy fog’ playing a role in the mishap, the exact cause will be ascertained after an official inquiry. The speedometer of both the trains has been seized for the probe.

Rail traffic affected

The railway traffic on the route was affected due to the accident, Mishra said.

Over six trains including 12880 Bhubaneswar LTT Express, 18426 Durg-Puri Express and 12831 Dhanbad-Bhubaneswar Rajyarani Express have been diverted via Naraj, he said.

Steps have been initiated to clear the tracks and restore normalcy in train services on the route at the earliest, he added.

Meanwhile, buses have been arranged for all remaining passengers to move towards their destination.

Helplines setup

Central Railway has set up helplines at five stations – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Dadar, LTT, Thane and Kalyan – to provide updates about the accident to relatives of the train passengers.

The helpline numbers are CSMT – 55993 (railway number) and 022-22624040, Dadar – 57390 and 022-24114836, LTT – 62606 and 022-25280005, Thane – 61290 and 022-25334840, and Kalyan – 63360 and 0251-2311499.

“Since the train started from Mumbai, we have set up additional helplines so that relatives of the passengers travelling by train can get updates,” Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said.