Congress MLA among six dead after Bangalore-Nanded Express train collides with lorry in Andhra

mangaloretoday.com

Hyderabad, Aug 24:   A Congress MLA from Karnataka was among six persons killed when a speeding granite-laden truck rammed into Bangalore-Nanded Express train after breaking the gate at a level crossing in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours of Monday.

 

Four bogies of the Nanded-bound train derailed as the truck broke the closed boom gate at Madakasira after "overlooking all safety warnings" and hit the H-1 coach at around 2.20 am, the Railways said.

Six passengers travelling in H1 coach of Begaluru-Nanded and the truck driver were killed in the accident, that also led to derailment of two other coaches - S1 and S2.

A Venkatesh Naik, a member of Karnataka Assembly from Devadurg constituency in Raichur district, was among the train passengers killed in the disaster.

The accident occurred at a level crossing at Madakasira in Penukonda mandal of Anantapur district around 2.30 am when the train was on its way to Nanded in Maharashtra from Bengaluru.

The speeding truck was carrying huge granites and the driver apparently failed to notice the railway gate on the recently constructed road.

Such was the impact of the collision that the H1 passenger car was ripped apart by a huge granite. All dead and almost all injured were from this coach.

Some passengers in S1 and S2 sustained minor injuries due to derailment. Anantapur district collector K Sasidhar said 20 buses were arranged for the stranded passengers to take them to their respective destinations.

The injured were shifted to a government-run hospital at Penukonda.

Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas and another minister from the district Palle Raghunath Reddy called on the injured and directed the officials to provide best possible treatment to them.

The accident affected the movement on Bengaluru-Guntakal route. Railway officials with the help of local authorities were engaged in removing the derailed coaches to clear the track.

Relief and rescue operation is underway.

Meanwhle, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has ordered a probe into the incident. The Chief Minister directed district collector to conduct an inquiry into the accident in which a granite-laden truck rammed into Nanded Express at a railway crossing near Madakasira.

Naidu expressed shock over the accident, which killed six people including a member of Karnataka legislative assembly.