Train News: In Cuttack, Odisha, a most unfortunate incident was observed when eleven AC coaches of Bengaluru-Kamakhya Superfast Express (Train No. 12551) derailed, and in this process, one person was killed and 25 other passengers were injured. The derailment, which occurred near Nergundi at 11:54 AM, comes as a serious wake-up call regarding the safety of railways in this area. Emergency services were immediately directed to the area with medical teams to help injured people and restore some order. The incident has utterly disrupted rail traffic and three trains were diverted while clean-up work commenced.
Crumbling cars and wrecked houses; wreckage and debris, here and there; pandemonium ensued as the train screeched, and passengers stormed out to safety.” The epitome of human cost: the death of one individual only was confirmed among the wreckage. There were injuries treated at nearby hospitals. The train turned out to be a nightmare journey for hundreds on board, travelling from Bengaluru to Kamakhya. To meet the crisis, a special relief train reached the site of the accident at 4:10 PM for evacuating all stranded passengers to complete their journey to Kamakhya. Nevertheless, the rescue operations are engulfed in gloom, marred by losses and injuries.
Railway Safety Assurance Questioned
With a little help from a series of conflicting statements by both Ashok Mishra, East Coast Railways’ PRO, and all news agencies concerned, the press soon gathered the following information that denied Mishra’s previous statements: News images by ANI showed injured victims being taken out of the site on stretchers. The contradictory images were a paramedic’s worst nightmare contrasting with the official version. This minor difference in words has ignited enormous rage, with many questioning how there could be such a statement in the face of images and eyewitness accounts of casualties.
After investigations of the derailment start, the question of who will be accountable arises. Was it human error or mechanical failure, or was it gross negligence? For now, answers are not available. This incident is a harsh wake-up call to rail authorities; now they must focus on safety and help families affected. Cuttack, instead of being an ordinary day for travelling, became a gloomy day in India’s railway history, leaving behind shock on the railway officers and passengers to grapple with.
