NIA team in Rayagada to probe into Hirakhand Express mishap

Rayagada: A 10-member team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrived at Rayagada district headquarters today to probe into the Hirakhand Express mishap in the night on January 21.

Sources said the NIA team, led by IG, Mukesh Singh, will stay in Rayagada for about 10 days.

The team will probe into four aspects—whether the speed of the train was more than the prescribed speed limit, whether the railway authorities had set a dummy train on this track before allowing the Hirakhand Express to pass through this route and whether there was any crack on the track and if yes, then had the station master Kuneru railway station any information about this.

Apart from this, the team will also examine the condition of the track, the sources added.

Prior to the visit of this NIA team, a five-member NIA team had visited the accident site near Kuneru railway station a day after the mishap that took place at 11.15 PM when the nine bogies and the engine of Hirakhand Express derailed near Kuneru railway station in which 41 passengers were killed and over 50 passengers were injured.