Search the Internet          Tips

Nitish blames bridge for train mishap

Union Minister for Railways Nitish Kumar on Saturday said the Mangalore-Madras Mail accident had occurred as the Kadalundi bridge collapsed when the train passed over it.

Talking to newspersons after visiting the accident site on Saturday morning, the minister said that the 120-year-old bridge was unable to take the weight of the train and was found to have sunk in.

He, however, added that the exact cause of the accident would be revealed only after the completion of the inquiry.

Commissioner for Railway Safety P K Sen arrived on Saturday morning and began investigating into the cause of the mishap.

Kumar announced an immediate ex-gratia of Rs 100,000 each to the families of those killed in the accident. Besides this, they would also be given an additional Rs 400,000 as compensation, he said.

The injured would also get up to Rs 400,000, depending upon the nature of their injuries, he said.

Earlier, five more bodies were recovered when rescue operations resumed on Saturday morning. Rescue workers said that some bodies were still trapped inside the coaches.

Rescue operations were suspended on Friday night due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, former Railway Board chairman M N Prasad told rediff.com that rail fractures had increased alarmingly in the country. "Fifteen to 20 fractures are taking place every day, though it has not yet led to any major accident," Prasad added.

Commissioner of Safety P K Sen would hold a two-day enquiry beginning on June 25 at the Calicut station manager's office, according to a Southern Railway press release.

Any member of the public having knowledge relating to the derailment could either give evidence on the date of enquiry or write to the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, No 7, Seshadri Road, Gandhinagar, Bangalore, the release added.

Passenger Information Centres
Chennai: 044-- 535 48 54
Mangalore: 0824 -- 42 31 37
Palghat: 0491 -- 55 53 37
Trivandrum: 0471 -- 518700, 333198
Calicut: 0495-- 701234

EARLIER REPORT
Cause of mishap is a subject of speculation

ALSO SEE:
34 bodies identified
Rescue work continues despite rain
Survivors in a state of shock
Anxious relative flood Calicut hospital

The Complete Coverage: The Kerala train mishap

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report