Three wounded as boulder crashes on Hubli Express

Three passengers were injured when a boulder crashed on the Hubli Express in the early hours of Monday at Khandala Ghat between Pune and Mumbai.

The incident occurred around 5.15 am between Monkey Hill and Thakurwadi Section, about 105 km from Mumbai.

This is the third such incident near the Monkey Hill station. This stretch is considered to be one of the most challenging ghats for the Indian Railways. The boulder fell on a sleeper coach (S6) of the 17317 Hubli-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express.

After the incident, the train was taken to Karjat where the boulders were removed.

The injured passengers are Shivprasad Mallappa Hiremath (27), a resident of Mumbai, Hussan Sab Beloki (59) and Mohammed Asif (25), both residents of Hubbali district of Karnataka.

“Two of them received minor injuries on hand and knee while we have shifted one injured to a private hospital. His condition is stable and normal,” a Central Railway official said.

Traffic on the Pune-Mumbai route was affected briefly.