VISAKHAPATNAM: Over 95 per cent of the total 695 passengers from Andhra Pradesh travelling in the ill-fated Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Superfast Express and Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express have escaped the accident, State education minister Botcha Satyanarayana announced on Sunday.
Sharing details with the reporters, Botcha explained 695 passengers from Andhra Pradesh were onboard the two trains during the accident in Balasore, Odisha. Of the total, 553 are safe and 95 people had not travelled, he said. As many as 484 people from Andhra Pradesh were in the reserved coaches of Coromandel Express. Of the total, 309 were bound for Visakhapatnam, 31 to Rajamahendravaram, nine to Eluru and 135 to Vijayawada.
Of the 211 passengers travelling in Yesvantpur-Howrah Express, 33 boarded at Visakhapatnam, three at Rajamahendravaram, one at Eluru, 41 at Vijayawada, eight at Bapatla and Tenali, two at Guntur, 11 at Ongole, three at Nellore, 107 at Tirupati and two at Tadepalligudem.
The minister explained that police, revenue and other officials are trying to locate the 28 passengers from the State who are still untraceable. He added that their phones are unreachable. “Of the total 22 passengers who suffered injuries, one sustained a serious head injury. Five of the injured passengers are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Visakhapatnam. All the 107 passengers who boarded the Howrah-bound train are safe,” he said.
Botcha added that of the five injured passengers undergoing treatment in Vizag, two were at Seven Hills Hospitals, one at INS Kalinga and two at King George Hospital (KGH). Four more people were shifted from Odisha to Andhra Pradesh. The minister said 11 people had already been discharged after being treated.
In addition to compensation announced by the Centre, the minister said the State government has also announced ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for seriously injured people and Rs 1 lakh for those who have sustained minor injuries.
He pointed out that death of only one person, C Gurumurthy, from Srikakulam district has been reported so far. A native of Santhabommali mandal, Gurumurthy was headed to Balasore to collect his pension. His body was handed over to his family members. An ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh was announced for Gurumurthy family members, Botcha said.
Further, he explained that five ambulances in Balasore, 25 ambulances and 15 Mahaprasthanam vehicles in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and 10 additional 108 vehicles at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam have been deployed.
Meanwhile, an official team led by IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath, deployed by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is undertaking relief measures in Balasore for the last two days. Jagan is also reviewing the situation, Botcha said.Officials have been visiting all hospitals in Balasore and Cuttack to interact with the injured passengers to ascertain whether any of them are from Andhra Pradesh.
Further, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman YV Subba Reddy said 180 bodies were yet to be identified. He added that authorities in Odisha have released photos of the victims so families can identify them. He requested the people to provide information to their respective Collectorate control room whether any of their family members are yet to be traced.