7 coaches of Kannur-Bengaluru Express derail, all passengers safe

A major disaster was averted on Friday as no casualties or injuries were reported after seven coaches of Kannur-Bengaluru Express derailed between Toppuru and Sivadi of the Bengaluru Division following a rockslide.

All 2,348 passengers on board are safe, the South Western Railway officials said. "A doctor checked all the passengers. Fortunately, even minor injuries were not reported," SWR Chief Public Relations officer Aneesh Hegde said.

The train had left Kannur at 6.05 pm on Thursday and the incident occurred at around 3.30 am on Friday when small boulders from a nearby hill fell and got entangled between the track and the train's wheels. As a result, B1, B2 ( 3rd AC), S6, S7, S8, S9, S10 ( Sleeper) coaches of Kannur-Bengaluru Express (07390) was derailed between Toppur and Sivadi in the Bengaluru-Dharmapuri section.

"The said stretch has a slope gradient, which led to more than one coach leaving the track," officials said.

The incident led to the delay of three trains. The KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Superfast Special, Nagercoil Jn-KSR Bengaluru (07236) and Salem-Yesvantpur Express (07316) were diverted or regulated, causing a delay of up to three hours.

Bengaluru Divisional Railway Manager Shyam Singh with a team of senior officers and a doctor rushed to the spot with Accident Relief Train (ART) and Medical Equipment Van at 4.45 am. DRM Salem with the team has also proceeded to the spot along with ART from Erode at 5.30 am.

The unaffected rear portion of six coaches, along with passengers, was cleared towards Toppuru and further to Salem. About 15 buses were arranged at Toppuru for the convenience of passengers and five buses are being arranged at the spot of the accident.

The Railways has opened the Help Desk at Hosur 04344-222603, Bengaluru 080-22156554 and Dharmapuri 04342-232111. Senior Officers are monitoring the situation closely, the release added.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: