At least 32 people were killed and 54 injured after Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express derailed in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district on Saturday, officials said.
The incident took place around 11.30 pm when the train was going from Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) to Odisha capital Bhubaneswar.
Thirteen of the train’s 22 coaches were unaffected in the incident. Rail traffic on the coast line has been suspended.
At least three trains on Rayasada and Vizianagaram were cancelled and eight others diverted. 13 unaffected coaches left for Rayagada and they will proceed to Bhubaneswar via Sambhalpur-Angul route.
The government officials as well as emergency workers worked through the night in a bid to locate survivors, NDTV reported.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced compensation of Rs. two lakh each for the family of those killed and Rs. 50,000 for injured, a railway official told media.
A senior railway official will conduct a detailed inquiry into the train accident and submit the report at the earliest, a railway spokesperson told media.
He added that the investigation would not rule out any angle including sabotage.
