Puri, December 21: A major mishap was averted on Monday after the Puri-Surat Express Train derailed in Odisha during the wee hours. According to a tweet by ANI, the express train derailed after hitting an elephant at 2.04 am. The incident was reported from the area located between Hatibari and Maneswar railway stations of Sambalpur division, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) reported. No casualties have been reported so far.
According to details available, as many as six wheels of the Puri-Surat Express Train engine derailed following the accident. According to reports, all the passengers on-board the train and the loco pilots are safe, the East Coast Railway informed. Two Coaches of Gorakhpur-Kolkata Puja Special Train Derail Between Silaut and Siho Stations in Bihar, No Casualties Reported.
Here's the tweet:
Six wheels of the train engine derailed following the accident. Passengers on-board and loco pilots are safe: East Coast Railway https://t.co/GBaf7B5EgX
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2020
A railway officer was quoted in reports saying that one elephant was killed in the accident. According to a report by TOI, the Surat-bound train had departed from Puri at 7.45pm on Sunday. Before the incident, the train departed from Hatibari at 1.55am with a speed of 50km per hour as the elephant caution was already imposed. The ECoR statement informed that the elephant was entangled with the engine, which caused its death.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2020 09:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).