9 bodies were recovered from the mangled bogies of the Howrah-Chennai Coromondel express which derailed near here as railway workers stepped up salvage operations.
Nine bodies were recovered from the mangled bogies of the Howrah-Chennai Coromondel express which derailed near here as railway workers on Saturday stepped up salvage operations to restore traffic on the busy line.
Railways, which scaled down the death toll to nine from their earlier figure of 16, have ordered a high level inquiry into the accident that took place on Friday evening when the train derailed while changing tracks near here.
"Though the death toll was earlier put at 16 on the basis of preliminary assessment, only nine bodies were recovered when search for mangled bodies at the mishap site was completed," minister of state for railways R Velu said after visiting the accident site near here.
About possible reason for the mishap, Velu said it could be technical, human error or any other factor. "At this stage it is difficult to guess the exact cause. We are reviewing the entire matter," he said.
A senior Railway official said all the mangled coaches were thoroughly searched after they were opened with the help of gas cutters and sophisticated equipment and "chances of more passengers or bodies still trapped is remote."
Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who visited the site of the mishap, asked authorities to probe the accident and promised medical help to the injured.
Though initial reports said about 160 people were injured in the mishap, Velu said only 45 passengers were now admitted to various hospitals where the condition of six was stated to be critical. The rest were discharged after first aid.
About 650 stranded passengers of the train were sent to their respective destinations by a special relief train bound for Chennai this morning. Arrangements have been made to provide them all necessities including food, railway officials said.
Though darkness affected rescue work for some time, the site was lit up after sometime with the help of station staff and people from a yatra being staged nearby, they said.
As many people from nearby villages had lined up to see the derailed bogies, salvage work at the site was affected for about one hour in the morning.
Velu said skilled manpower and machinery of the railways and other agencies were working on a war footing to clear the track and restore normal train traffic on the busy route within 48 hours.
While heavy machinery including special cranes were brought from Kharagpur for the job, teams of Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) armed with sophisticated machines and equipment had also joined the salvage operation.
A high-level probe into the accident would be conducted by commissioner of Railway Safety and the report would be submitted within seven days, the minister said.
The accident occurred on Friday evening when the express train was changing tracks outside the station.The engine of the train went onto one track and capsized, while the bogies which remained on another derailed and scattered in all directions.
Passengers, who were on the train, felt a number of sharp jerks moments before the accident at around 8:00 pm suggesting that the driver applied the brakes.
The wheels and springs of the bogies lay in all directions 200 to 300 metre away from the spot, this reporter saw. One of the 13 bogies had climbed onto another.
Railway minister Lalu Prasad announced Rs five lakh and a job for the next of the kin of the dead, Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured and Rs 10,000 for those with minor injuries.
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