An Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority official said that they had no information available about the Andhra passengers who were traveling in the unreserved seats of the crashed trains.

news News Monday, June 05, 2023 - 17:58
Written by  TNM Staff

The recent triple train tragedy in Odisha, which resulted in the loss of 275 lives and left over 900 people injured, has raised concerns as 44 passengers from Andhra Pradesh remain untraced, according to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA).

The devastating accident occurred on Friday, June 2, when the Coromandel Express traveling from Shalimar to Chennai collided with a goods train around 7 pm. This collision caused 10-12 coaches of the Coromandel Express to derail and fall onto an adjacent track. Shortly after, another train heading to Howrah from Bengaluru, running four hours behind schedule, crashed into the derailed coaches, resulting in three of its own coaches skidding off the track.

An official from the APSDMA told TNM that they are still unaware of the whereabouts of Andhra Pradesh passengers who were traveling in the unreserved seats. Among those traveling in reserved seats, 44 individuals from Andhra Pradesh remain untraced. Out of the 44, eight persons have not responded to phone calls, four persons' phone numbers were found to be disconnected, and the phone numbers of 31 individuals were unavailable. Furthermore, one person provided an incorrect phone number, making it difficult to determine their identity. The APSDMA obtained the details of the missing persons from the district administration of Visakhapatnam and the Divisional Railway Manager of Vijayawada.

Thus far, the APSDMA has received distress calls from the family members of two Andhra Pradesh residents, Syed Abdul Basha from Kadapa and Ambati Ramulu from Khammam. Fortunately, Basha was found to be safe at his residence in Hyderabad. However, officials are still searching for Ramulu, who worked as a watchman at Chaitanya apartments in Vijayawada. Concerns have been raised about Ramulu's well-being as his daughter mentioned his mental health struggles. It is unclear whether Ramulu boarded any of the trains involved in the incident. The APSDMA has obtained Ramulu's photograph and is actively searching for him.