Chhattisgarh: Driver hurt as empty pax train engine derails after hitting uprooted tree

Representational Image. Pic/iStock

The engine of an empty Antagrah-bound passenger train was derailed after it hit a giant tree that had fallen on the track in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Friday. The loco pilot suffered minor injuries, officials said repored PTI.

The incident took place in the early hours of Friday between Bhanupratappur and Gudum villages. As per the PTI report, the empty DEMU passenger train was heading to Antagarh (Kanker district) from Dallirajhara (Balod district), a railway official said.

The train, which runs from Antagarh to Raipur, was scheduled to leave for the capital at 4.30 am from Antagarh.

A huge banyan tree had fallen on the track due to incessant rainfall in the area over the last few days. The locomotive hit the tree and its two front wheels were derailed. The loco pilot sustained bruises in the accident, reported PTI citing the official.

Railway and security personnel were rushed to the site, located in the Naxal-hit area, and the exercise to put it on track was launched, he said.

The locomotive was rerailed around 10 am after the downed tree was cleared, he said.

Meanwhile, at least two wagons of a goods train derailed near Bhubaneswar railway station here on Friday, officials said reported PTI.

The derailment took place at about 8.30 am, they said.

There was no report of any injury, the officials said, adding that railway teams have reached the site for restoration work.

The middle and up lines are unaffected as the wagons jumped the rail in the down line, they said.

Mumbai: Railway staffer dies while coupling long-distance train at CSMT

A Central Railway pointsman lost his life when he got crushed between the locomotive and a coach while coupling a long-distance train at Mumbai CSMT, an official said on Tuesday, reported the PTI.

The incident occurred at platform No. 16 when Mumbai-Bhubaneshwar Konark Express's engine was being coupled at around 3.10 pm on Monday, he said.

According to the PTI, Pointsman Suraj Seth jumped on to the track for shunting off the locomotive that was not coupled with the train in the first attempt, Railway officials said. Seth got crushed between the locomotive and a coach and died, they said.

Ideally, a supervisor should be present while shunting work is on, but it seems in this case he was not there at the spot when the accident took place, said the officials.

A CR spokesperson confirmed the incident, as per the PTI.

Coupling is a mechanism where a locomotive is connected to a following coach and by which succeeding compartments in a train are linked.