Chennai-Mangalore Express derails; at least 42 injured

The injured have been rushed to nearby hospitals, official said, adding that the train services on the busy route were disrupted for sometime

At least 42 passengers of the Chennai-Mangalore Express were injured after four bogies derailed near Cuddalore in the wee hours today.

The mishap occurred around 2 a.m today when the four bogies of the Mangalore-bound train jumped the tracks at Puvanur near Vriddhachalam in Cuddalore district, about 200 km from here, police and southern Railway officials said.

Of the 38 injured, 36 were administered first aid while three others were admitted to a hospital in Vriddhachalam, Railway officials said.

“There are no fatalities reported from the incident that occurred near Chennai,” rail ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

Rail traffic was disrupted on the busy route. Several trains were halted at nearby stations. They were later operated on alternative route but were running late, officials added.

Senior police officials said the district administration was taking stock of the situation, with steps being taken to make alternative arrangements for some stranded passengers to be ferried to nearest rail and bus terminals to proceed to their respective destinations.

This was the third train accident in a lttle over a month. On August 4, at least 35 people had died and 25 were injured when two trains derailed within minutes of each other while crossing a small bridge in Madhya Pradesh.

On August 24, five persons including a Karnataka legislator were killed when a granite-laden truck rammed into an express train at a level crossing in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur.