Rayagada: Thousands of commuters had a nightmarish experience Monday night after the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express (18448) got stuck in a tunnel for five hours due to a technical glitch.
Chaotic scenes were witnessed inside the tunnel as anxious passengers made desperate attempts to get out of it in fear. Several panic-stricken passengers complained of breathing problems during the incident while children and infants started crying.
According to reports, the train left from Tikiri railway station in Rayagada district towards Rauli, the next station, at around 8.51 pm.
Meanwhile, the wheels of the train got tangled with wires of an electric pole that had snapped and fallen on the track inside the tunnel.
Luckily, the train didn’t derail. On being informed, two relief trains reached the spot and restoration work was started by the railways personnel. The train eventually resumed its journey at 1.45 am.
A team has been formed to investigate into the incident, a railway official said. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty of dereliction of duty, the official added.
A passenger, Girija Kumar Choudhury, recounted the experience in a Facebook post that went viral. Choudhury said it was a horrific experience.
“I thought the world was coming to an end. We were stuck inside the tunnel in the dark. We were left worried. But, the railway personnel arrived and asked us not to panic,” said another passenger.
Recalling the harrowing experience, another passenger said with no light, it was suffocating inside the tunnel.
PNN
