Eight passengers were run over and two others were injured on Saturday when they came under a train coming from the opposite direction after jumping out of their train following rumours about fire in it at a place near Vizainagaram.
The incident took place at around 6.50pm when rumours spread about a fire in Elappi(Kerala)-Dhanbad Express train, triggering panic among its passengers, a spokesman of East Coast railway said.
The passengers of the express train pulled the chain, brought it to a halt and jumped out but were crushed under the wheels of Rayagada (Odisha)-Vijaywada passenger train coming from the opposite direction on the adjacent track, he said. Senior railway officials, the spokesperson added.
Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge termed the incident as ‘most tragic’ and instructed the officials to ensure the injured get speedy treatment.
An inquiry has been ordered into the incident. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed anguish over the accident. Reddy, who was in Bengaluru, spoke to the district collector and the Superintendent of Police over phone and asked them to supervise the relief operations, an official release said in Hyderabad.
The incident took place at around 6.50pm when rumours spread about a fire in Elappi(Kerala)-Dhanbad Express train, triggering panic among its passengers, a spokesman of East Coast railway said.
The passengers of the express train pulled the chain, brought it to a halt and jumped out but were crushed under the wheels of Rayagada (Odisha)-Vijaywada passenger train coming from the opposite direction on the adjacent track, he said. Senior railway officials, the spokesperson added.
Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge termed the incident as ‘most tragic’ and instructed the officials to ensure the injured get speedy treatment.
An inquiry has been ordered into the incident. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed anguish over the accident. Reddy, who was in Bengaluru, spoke to the district collector and the Superintendent of Police over phone and asked them to supervise the relief operations, an official release said in Hyderabad.