8 Victims of Vizianagaram train mishap identified

Vizianagaram –   The eight persons who were run over by a speeding train on Saturday evening at Gotlam railway station near Vizianagaram town have been identified, Railway Police said.

The deceased were identified as Alexus Tapno (27), Sowmya Kumar (2), Kartik Sahu (70), Lokendra Kumar (28), Aadhiraju (60), Taradevi (34), Sweta Singh (33) and Samhita Kumari (10), they said, adding the bodies have been sent to King George Hospital here.

Most of the victims are from Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

30-year-old Karupasi, who was injured in the mishap, was admitted to a local hospital. His condition was stated to be stable.

Bodies would be handed over to the relatives after autopsy.

Earlier, At least eight people are feared to have died and eight others injured as a train ran over them at Gotlam station, 10 km away from Vizianagaram, in eastern Andhra Pradesh.

Sources said the tragedy happened after the Bokaro-bound Alleppey-Dhanbad Express was stopped at Gotlam after some passengers pulled chains following rumours of fire in a couple of its coaches.

As people from the stationary train started getting down in panic, the Rayagada-Vijayawada passenger train coming from the opposite direction ran over them, killing eight and injuring at least eight others.

Sources said since the Gotlam station is on a curve, the driver of the passenger train may not have seen the crowd on the tracks.

The victims, who were travelling on Alleppy-Dhanbadh Bokaro Express proceeding to Bocoro Steel city, got down after pulling the chain near Gotlam as they heard a rumour that a bogey of the train had caught fire.

However, in the darkness, they did not see Rayagada Passenger train coming from the opposite direction and were mowed down under its wheels.