A goods train carrying iron ore, from Bacheli to Visakhapatnam, derailed between Kamalur and Bhansi in Chhattisgarh, under Waltair Division of East Coast Railway, due to suspected sabotage of the railway track, on Friday night.
Three locomotives of the goods train and nineteen wagons derailed. It’s a single line electrified territory, full of curves and ghats. Operations will remain paralysed and loading at the Bacheli-Kirandul points will remain suspended till restoration was completed, said Divisional Railway Manager Anup Satpathy.
An Accident Relief Train (ART) was rushed to the derailment spot from Kirandul. Railway officials from Kirandul reached along with the ART. A banner was seen on the loco about the Central India bandh on November 27 declared by the banned CPI (Maoists) and some pamphlets about the bandh were also found at the spot.
The Maoists had given a bandh call in the area. A total of two ARTs, two cranes— of 120 tonne capacity— and five earth movers were being moved to the location for restoration of services.
Due to the derailment, the following passenger trains were affected: Visakhapatnam-Kirandul express, leaving Visakhapatnam on November 27 will be short terminated at Koraput station.
The same train will return as Koraput-Visakhapatnam express from Koraput on its schedule. Hence, there will be no service of this train between Kirandul and Koraput on November 27.
