Andhra Pradesh train accident - At least six people have died as a truck collided with Express train in Anantapur district on Monday morning.
The accident occurred at around 2:30 am when a granite truck crashed through a level crossing in the southern town of Anantapur and rammed into the first class air-conditioned coach of the Nanded Express. Three air-conditioned compartments were derailed under the impact of the collision with the lorry, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen.
Five people inside the compartment were killed including Karnataka politician Venkatesh Naik and a passenger in the granite-laden truck died. The injured were taken to a hospital in Penukonda. The lawmaker from southern state of Karnataka was traveling in the train from Bengaluru to his home district of Raichpur, according to the police.
The truck was not able to stop at the crossing because of a brake failure as the driver was operating at a very high speed. The truck driver narrowly escaped with his life as he jumped out seconds before the impact and fell unconscious.
“The level crossing was manned and had a red light on. The lorry overshot the speed breaker and rammed through the level crossing gate before crashing into the train,” said Sanjeev Agarwal, divisional railway manager of Banglore. India’s Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said in a social media post, it was an “unfortunate accident” and announced that families of the victims would be compensated.
Monday’s tragedy is the second mishap involving the Banglore-Nanded Express in the last two years. Moreover, it is the third major accident in as many years at Anantapur. The incident comes weeks after two express trains derailed on a flooded bridge in Madhya Pradesh, which killed at least 24 people. IMAGE/ newindianexpress.com
