Seoni (Madhya Pradesh), March 13 – A coach of the Shahdol-Nagpur Express derailed in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, but no casualties were reported, officials said.
A major tragedy was narrowly averted when the loco pilot applied the brakes as soon as the last coach (No. 11202) of the train derailed near Khairranji-Gangatola on the Nainpur-Chhindwara-Nagpur section of the South East Central Railway (SECR).
The incident occurred around noon when the wheels of the Seating-cum-Luggage Rake (SLR) came off the tracks while the train was travelling from Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh to Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra, officials added.
Upon noticing the derailment, the loco pilot applied emergency brakes and brought the train to a halt, preventing a potential major accident, the officials said.
Railway officials from Nainpur in Mandla district rushed to the scene in an Accident Relief Medical Train soon after receiving information about the derailment. Teams from the RPF, GRP, and local administration also reached the site.
The derailed coach was later detached from the train, and the Shahdol-Nagpur Express resumed its journey around 2:30 pm.
Divisional Railway Manager of the Nagpur division of SECR, Deepak Kumar Gupta, and Divisional Safety Commissioner Deepchand Arya reached the spot and began investigating the cause of the derailment.
Gupta told
"No passengers were injured in the incident. Railway officials have cleared the tracks, and train services will continue as scheduled," he said.
The Nagpur-Shahdol Express (No. 11201), which had been halted at Palari station until the tracks were restored, was later allowed to proceed to its destination, officials added.