CUTTACK: A 22-year-old man from Bengal died and more than 30 passengers were injured Sunday when 11 coaches of Bengaluru-Kamakhya AC Express derailed near Manguli-Choudwar passenger halt on the outskirts of Cuttack.
The train, carrying more than 1,000 passengers, had departed Cuttack station at 11.43am and derailed 11 minutes later after crossing Kendrapada Road station. Most of the injured are from Bengal and Assam.
The derailment follows Odisha’s biggest railway disaster on June 2, 2023, when the Coromandel Express rear-ended a stationary freight train in Balasore district and three of its derailed coaches whiplashed the tail end of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express crossing the station at the same time. The crash killed 296 people and injured 1,200.
Railway officials said the cause of Sunday’s derailment is under investigation, though preliminary reports suggest a track defect in an area where maintenance work was underway.
Police sources said the lone fatality – Subhankar Ray of Alipurduar – occurred when he jumped from the train in panic. An autopsy is underway. Railway ministry announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh for those seriously injured, and Rs 50,000 for passengers with minor injuries.
Dr Jayanta Kumar Panda, a professor of medicine at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, said 30 injured passengers were admitted, including three in serious condition.
Residents, first responders from NDRF, Odisha fire and emergency services, and RPF helped evacuate passengers, many of whom suffered from dehydration in the heat. Rescue and restoration efforts are ongoing, with teams from NDRF and SDRF at the site.
Memories of the 2023 Balasore crash prompted an immediate local response. “Luckily, the coaches did not overturn. They had veered off the track. Had they capsised, the casualty could have been more,” said Smitarani Swain, one of the first responders.
By the time locals arrived, many passengers had already left the train. “We provided them with assistance,” said Swain, a volunteer with a local NGO.
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi directed top officials to oversee relief and rescue operations. “Authorities are on-site, ensuring assistance and restoring normalcy at the earliest. Helplines activated for support,” Majhi said.
(Inputs from Debabrata Mohapatra in Bhubaneswar, Mukut Das in Guwahati)
