Train derails in Chitradurga

Rail traffic was affected after the Bengaluru-Hosapete passenger train derailed on the railway overbridge on national highway-13 in the city in the early hours of Wednesday.

The incident occurred near Pillekeranahalli at around 5.40 am, when the train was moving towards Rayadurga. The right side wheel of one of the compartments derailed and slipped on to the sleeper (space between the rails).

Realising this, the engine driver applied brakes, bringing the train to a halt nearly 1 km away. The hooks connecting the rails and the sleepers broke due to the impact.

Eyewitnesses said they heard a huge sound and there was fire on the tracks, before the train halted. The passengers, some of whom fell down from their seats, rushed towards the doors. Passersby helped them alight from the train, get down from the bridge and take buses to their destinations. It is said an overloaded lorry had hit the overbridge in full force, leading to the bending of the rail at the spot where the derailment occurred.

Rail traffic is expected to resume after the derailed train is moved off the tracks.