Over the past decade, Vizianagaram district has witnessed a series of four major train accidents resulting in the tragic loss of at least 67 lives and leaving hundreds of individuals injured. Among these incidents is the recent Sunday horror when a collision occurred between the Rayagada passenger train and the Palasa passenger train near the Kantakapalli railway station.
In one of the incidents on November 2, 2013, a tragic accident unfolded near Gotlam Railway Station in Vizianagaram district, claiming the lives of eight individuals and injuring two more. The incident occurred as passengers of the Alappuzha-Dhanbad train, upon observing smoke emanating from the AC compartments, leaped onto the tracks. Unfortunately, the Rayagada-Vijayawada passenger train, approaching from the opposite direction on an adjacent track, ran over these passengers.
On January 21, 2017, another calamity struck when the Hirakhand Express, en route from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar, derailed near Kuneru railway station in Vizianagaram district. This accident resulted in the loss of 41 lives and injuries to 68 others. The derailment caused the diesel engine of the train and nine cars to leave the tracks with considerable force, leading to a collision with a freight train on a parallel track. Additionally, on April 11, 2022, at least five passengers were killed, and several others were injured when they were struck by the Konark Express near the Batuva railway gate in G Sigadam mandal of Srikakulam district. These passengers from the Secunderabad-Guwahati Superfast Express disembarked from their train and were on the adjacent railway track when they were run over by the approaching Konark Express from the opposite direction.
Post Your Comments