Samaleswari-goods collide sideways

JHARSUGUDA: Passengers of Koraput-Howrah Samaleswari Express had a narrow escape after a goods train scratched past the Express

train near Jharsuguda railway station late on Tuesday. The sideways collision left 10 passengers injured, two of them seriously. Nine compartments,

including an AC coach, were damaged. The incident occurred due to “signal overshooting” as both the trains started moving simultaneously in the

same direction. Though signal was given for the goods train to depart, the Samaleswari driver mistook it for his train and

moved ahead. The mishap comes a day after two coaches of the Doon Express caught fire in Jharkhand’s Giridih district,

leaving seven persons dead. Samaleswari Express was stationed on Platform No.3 and the goods train on Platform No. 4. Both the trains

left their platforms at the same time at 1.35 am. At about 1.40 am, when the trains were changing tracks, a collision took place. The impact of the collision saw passengers sleeping in the upper berths tumble down, some glass panes of the AC coach shattered and the tracks damaged. Since

both the trains had just left the station and were moving at a slow pace, not much damage was reported. The seriously injured passengers have been identified as Vikash Naik (40) and A Begum (45). They have been admitted to Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital where their condition was stated to be stable. Though Jharsuguda station is located in the proximity, railway officials and support staff reached the spot only in the morning, said R P Singh, who was travelling to Jamshedpur in the AC coach.