Hirakhand derailment: Death toll rises to 41; NIA, CID teams visit site

Visakhapatnam: Death toll rose to 41 in the train derailment accident of Vizianagaram district today. THe National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Andhra Pradesh's Hyderabad Crime Investigation Department (CID) visited the accident site today to study if there was sabotage angle in the accident. According to Railway Police officials, one more body has been recovered from one of the derailed coaches of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday at 23.30hrs near Kuneru Railwat Station, 24km from Rayagada in Odisha. The train was on its way to the Odisha capital Bhubaneswar from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh. Officials said 68 passengers were injured due to the derailment of nine coaches. They were being treated in the hospitals in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team visited the accident site here today to probe the sabotage angle.

NIA is already probing the alleged role of Pakistan’s Inter Services Agency (ISI) behind the Indore-Patna Express derailment near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh that claimed 150 lives. The CID officials included Additional Director General of Police Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and Inspector General of Police Amit Garg. Officials have not ruled out the involvement of Maoists as the Andhra-Odisha border (AOB) area is considered a Maoist stronghold. (UNI)