Railways test efficacy of disaster management plan

A drill was carried out at Ashokapuram station in Mysuru

The ‘derailment’ of an express train with 15 passengers ‘trapped’ in two ‘capsized’ bogies at Ashokapuram railway station in Mysuru was part of a safety drill carried out by the Mysuru division of South Western Railway along with a team of personnel from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Soon after receiving a message around 9.56 a.m. on September 21 that the Tirupati-Chamarajanagar Express had ‘derailed’, railway officials rushed to the ‘accident site’ to carry out relief and rescue operations as per the standard protocol. An NDRF team comprising 20 personnel, led by Inspector General Harish Chandra Pandey, too reached the site. Personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services, doctors and nurses from the railway hospital too arrived at the spot to assist in the operation to rescue the 15 passengers ‘trapped’ in the ‘capsized’ coaches.