Teams from the National Investigation Agency and Andhra Pradesh’s Criminal Investigation Department on Monday visited the site in Odisha where the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express on derailed on Saturday night. The toll in the mishap has risen to 41, with local officials reporting that the number of those injured in the derailment had increased to 68, NDTV reported.
The NIA and CID teams will investigate whether there was any sabotage involved in the train’s derailment. Officials have not ruled out a possible Maoist hand in the incident as the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha region is considered a Naxalite stronghold.
The derailment follows similar such train accidents across the country in the past few months, including the Ajmer-Sealdah Express derailment and the Patna-Indore Express mishap. Investigative agencies, including the NIA, are also looking into a possible role of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence in the Patna-Indore Express case.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of those killed in the accident. Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced a Rs 2-lakh compensation for the victims’ families and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured.
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