Railways today suspected that tampering of the track near Kuneru station led to the derailment of nine coaches of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh.

"There is a strong indication of tampering with the track as the area is known to be a Naxal-prone zone and as Republic Day is approaching. Foul play cannot be ruled out," sources said.

"The Commissioner Railway Safety will conduct a thorough inquiry to ascertain the cause of the mishap," the sources said.

According to the sources, "A goods train had safely passed the same track. The patrol man had also checked the track. However, the driver of the train heard a big cracker-like sound just before the derailment and there appeared to be a big crack on the track which caused the derailment".

27 people were killed after nine coaches of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Express derailed in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh.

The incident took place around 11 PM yesterday when the train was on its way to Bhubaneswar from Jagdalpur.