Hirakhand Express mishap: Stringent action will be taken against guilty, says Railway Minister

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday said “stringent action” will be taken against those found responsible for the derailment of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express today which has killed at least 39 people.

“The cause of the accident will be probed. It is an unfortunate incident. Stringent action will be taken against those found responsible,” Prabhu told reporters after meeting the injured passengers from the train at Rayagada district headquarters hospital.

“Those responsible for the derailment will not be spared ...Stringent action will be taken against those who played with the lives of so many people,” he said.

Prabhu, who was accompanied by Railway Board chairman A K Mittal and other senior officials, also visited the accident site near Kuneru railway station in Andhra Pradesh bodering Odisha.

Senior Railway officials said efforts are on to clear and restore the affected tracks at the earliest to ensure normal traffic on the route.

“Men and machinery are working on a war footing to remove the derailed bogies and set the track fit. Normal train services are likely to be resumed on the route by early tomorrow morning,” they said.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi along with DGP K B Singh and Health Secretary P K Meherda met the injured passengers admitted at Rayagada government hospital.

While 19 seriously injured passengers are under treatment at Rayagada, 13 others have suffered minor injury. Twelve passengers have been rushed to a hospital in Parvathipuram, while nine seriously injured ones have been admitted at the Vishakhapatanam hospital.

“The state government has provided all support to the Railways in the rescue operation. The Railways has its own procedure for investigation into such type of accidents. It is a sad incident where 39 people have died and over 100 others were injured,” Padhi said.

Most of the bodies have been identified and handed over to their families, he said adding Odisha government is committed to ensure proper treatment for injured passengers.