Railway police on Sunday said that if the driver of the Rayagarh passenger train had sounded the horn as he negotiated a sharp curve near Gotlam, near Vizianagaram railway station, Saturday’s freak mishap that claimed nine lives could have been averted.
The victims had stopped their train, the Bokaro-Alleppey Express, and jumped to an adjacent track following rumours that a fire had broken out in their bogie.
They were run over by the oncoming Rayagarh-Vijayawada passenger train at the Gontlam East cabin. Among the dead were three persons from one family, and a soldier from Hyderabad.
Vijayawada railway superintendent of police Ch. Shyam Prasada Rao said that the cops were probing the role of the driver of the Rayagarh train.
Vijayawada railway superintendent of police Ch. Shyam Prasada Rao said that the cops were probing the role of the driver of the Rayagarh train.
“It is evident from our oral enquiries with the passengers that the (Rayagarh) driver didn’t sound the horn. If he had done so, it would have saved lives as those who standing were on the track would have moved aside,” Rao said.
Senior railway police officials at Hyderabad, who acknowledged “human error”, said that there was no “criminal negligence”. Officials said that pulling the chain and stopping the train was responsible for the mishap.
“We have filed a case under 174 CrPC (unnatural death). If the driver’s negligence is seen during investigation, we’ll convert the case into IPC Section 304A (rash and negligent act leading to death),” he said. “The two trains were late by two hours and they crossed at the same time round 6.42 pm at Gotlam,” Rao said.
According to reports from Vizianagaram, the Bokaro Express left Vizianagaram at about 6.25 pm on Saturday and was at Gotlam East cabin, when some passengers in the S1 coach pulled the chain and stopped the train at 6.38 pm, believing that there was a fire. As rumours spread, passengers from the S1, S2 and S3 bogies and an unreserved coach got down and waited on the parallel track for the situation to clear.
Seven minutes later, the Rayagarh-Vijayawada train, coming around a curve, ran over the passengers waiting on the track, at 6.45 pm. Eight persons died on the spot and another died at the MR District Hospitals in Vizianagaram. Sources said many passengers jumped into the bushes adjoining the track.
According to the Government Railway Police, Visakhapatnam, Alexus Tapno, 27, of Chhattisgarh, died while undergoing treatment.
The other victims were identified as Swetha Singh, 33, her daughter Samhita Kumari, 10, and son Sourya Kumar, 2, of Aurangabad, Bihar; Lokendra Kumar, 28, of Hyderabad; Taradevi, 34, of Chakradharapur, Jharkhand; Kartheek Sahoo, 70, of Bolangir, Odisha; and P. Aadhiraju, 60, of Bobbili, Vizianagram.
Superintendent of Police, GRP, Vijayawada, Ch Syam Prasad said that eight passengers had been identified but the ninth body was badly mutilated.
Shyam Prasada Rao of the GRP said police was recording the statement of the lone survivor who first raised the alarm about the fire.
Shyam Prasada Rao of the GRP said police was recording the statement of the lone survivor who first raised the alarm about the fire.
Source:DC
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