Andhra Pradesh: 3 dead, 20 injured as train derails

Visakhapatnam, June 12: Three passengers were killed and 20 injured, five of them seriously, when the Howrah-bound Gurudev Express from Nagercoil derailed near Duvvada railway station, 30 km from here, after midnight.

According to railway sources here today, 11 coaches of the train had derailed. Train services on the route were distrupted.

The track, where the accident occurred, was much below the ground level and huge mounds of soil on either side of the track were making rescue operations difficult.

The deceased were identified as Veerandhra (61), M Prasad (51) and S Saien (35). All the injured hailed from Bhubaneswar in Orissa.

City Police Commissioner V S K Kaumudi said the injured have been shifted to the King George Hospital and Railway Hospital. A relief team from the railways was also rushed to the spot.

More than 600 passengers were aboard the train when the accident occurred.

A special train left here to bring back the stranded passengers from the Duvvada railway station.

Due to darkness and remoteness of the site rescue operations were slow.

Divisional Railway Manager Indra Ghosh had reached the spot.

The Chennai-Howrah Coromandel Express was detained at Anakapalli while Hyderabad-Howrah Falakanama Express and East Coast Express were detained at Yalamancally.

UNI