VIZIANAGARAM: In the past ten years, at least 67 people were killed and hundreds injured in four major train mishaps in Vizianagaram district. The numbers include the death toll of the Sunday horror, where a Rayagada passenger collided with a Palasa passenger near Kantakapalli railway station.
On November 2, 2013, as many as eight persons were killed and two others injured after being run over by a speeding train in Vizianagaram district. The accident took place at Gotlam Railway Station near Vizianagaram. The passengers were of the Alappuzha-Dhanbad train and jumped onto the track witnessing smoke from the AC compartments. However, the Rayagada-Vijayawada passenger train, which was coming from the opposite direction on the adjacent track ran over the passengers on the track.
On January 21, 2017, the Hirakhand Express, scheduled from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar, derailed near Kuneru railway station in Vizianagaram district, killing 41 people and injuring 68 others. The diesel engine of the train and nine cars derailed on that fateful night. Three cars derailed with enough force and collided with a freight train on a parallel track.
At least five passengers were killed and several injured after being hit by Konark Express near Batuva railway gate in G Sigadam mandal of Srikakulam district on April 11, 2022. The passengers of the Secunderabad-Guwahati Superfast Express got off the train and were on the next railway track when they were run over by the Konark Express coming from the opposite direction.
Locals carried injured on shoulders: Survivor
Penumaji Gowri Naidu, a mason from Kapusambham village in Garividi mandal of Vizianagaram district, recounts the horrific experience he underwent during the tragic train mishap on Sunday evening at Kantakapalli. He was travelling in the last coach of the ill-fated Palasa passenger when the accident took place.
“On Sunday, I boarded the last coach of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger after completing my work at Visakhapatnam. The Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train which was coming behind suddenly hit our train. People of Kantakapalli, Alamanda, Kothavalasa, and neighbouring villages reached the spot and launched the rescue operation along with the other passengers in both trains,” Gowri Naidu said.
Due to the bad terrain and poor lighting, the rescue operation encountered inconvenience and the ambulances were forced to stop 2km away from the accident spot, he recalled. “I can still hear the screams of the victims who got stuck in the wreckage. The locals shifted tens of injured persons on their shoulders in the dark to the ambulances. This is the most horrific and heart-wrenching scene I have witnessed in my life,” he said.
Sudden demise of sole breadwinners pushes distraught families to the edge
The train accident at Kantakapalli has not only killed 13 people but also put the future of several families in jeopardy. The lives of the kin of the deceased and injured hang in balance as most of them are daily wage labours.
Recalling the daily routine of a 45-year-old mason, his family members said that Karanam Akkalanaidu, a resident of Kapusambham village, used to travel to Visakhapatnam daily on Palasa passenger to sustain the family. Like every other day, he boarded the Palasa passenger on Sunday to reach Cheepurupalli after finishing his work and breathed his last in the terrible accident.
He was survived by his wife Karanamma, two children-Harshavardhan (11) and Durgaprasad (15). It is heartening to learn that Akkalanaidu had to travel daily just to earn Rs 650 a day, of which he had to spend over Rs 100 for travel expenses.
Similar is the case with R Seetham Naidu (40), a resident of Reddipeta village under Cheepurupalli mandal. He was survived by his wife Sureedu and two children-Sailaja (15) and Upendra (17).
The news of the sudden demise of Challa Satish (33) devastated his family. He was working as a sales executive in a jewellery shop in Visakhapatnam. He married Likhita just a few months ago and was transferred to Visakhapatnam.
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