JOIN USA top railway source said the mishap occurred at about 1.45 pm, when the locomotive of the train was being attached to the bogies at the rear. “The locomotive unexpectedly touched the bogies with a great speed. Passengers sitting in the bogies on the rear lost balance and fell down in the compartments," he said. It is yet to be ascertained whether the driver was at fault.
The engine of the Bangarpet-Marikuppam Passenger is detached on its arrival at Marikuppam. It is attached at the other end of the train and is re-run as Marikuppam-Bangalore passenger. "The reversal of the engine is done regularly and this is a rare mishap," said an official.
The passengers were taken to a hospital in Kolar for treatment. Barring two, the rest have been discharged. Divisional Railway Manager, Akhil Agrawal, visited the injured in the hospital.
The incident created anxious moments among Railway employees as Marikuppam falls in Kolar district, the native place of the Minister of State for Railways, K H Muniyappa. The arrival of the train at Bangalore was delayed beyond its scheduled time of 5 pm.