Crack Found In Train Coach In Tamil Nadu, Major Accident Averted

Alert railways officials in Tamil Nadu prevented a major disaster after detecting cracks in the chassis of a train coach. The officials immediately detached the affected coach from the Kollam-Chennai Express. The news comes days after a major train tragedy in Odisha in which 275 people were killed and 1,200 injured. The Balasore crash, India's deadliest, is being blamed on a technical glitch, however, the Railway Board has recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) take over the probe into the cause of the disaster.

In Tamil Nadu, the cracks were discovered on Sunday evening during a rolling stock examination at the Sengottai Railway Station.

"Yesterday (On Sunday) at 3:36 pm a crack was noticed by C&W staff in the S3 coach of train No 16102 while entering Sengottai station in Tamil Nadu," Southern Railway officials told NDTV.

The faulty coach was detached from the train and a replacement coach added after which it left the station an hour later, at 4.40pm.

"The staff who detected the crack will be appreciated for vigil watch and awarded by DEM, Madurai Division," the Southern Railway further said.

Meanwhile, 51 hours after the triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore, Indian Railways on Monday resumed services on the route affected by the accident.

Also Read | At Odisha's AIIMS, People Sift Through Photos For Bodies After Rail Tragedy

The incident took place around 7pm on June 2 near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. It involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Express and Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express - and a goods train.