Truck Mishap at Bhopal

Truck mishap: rail traffic resumes

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times

Bhopal, December 29, 2012As many as 17 passenger trains and 12 goods trains got delayed when a truck broke on the railing of Chetak bridge and fell near the railway track on Thursday night.

The truck fell off Chetak bridge when the driver momentarily got blinded with the halogen light coming directly in his eyes from a car coming from the opposite side. Though the driver is yet to be caught, it was revealed during preliminary investigation. However, it is suspected that drunken or speedy driving may be the cause behind the sudden loss of control over the steering. The driver and cleaner had miraculously survived after the truck fell from such a height. They came out of the vehicle and walked for nearly 3 km before they boarded a truck and went ahead. The driver who hails from Obaidullahganj, had phoned the truck owner, who hails from Umaria about the incident. It is hoped that the driver would surrender before police on Saturday.

The mishap occurred when the truck driver apparently lost control and hit the railing of the bridge. The truck took a somersault in the air and fell on the ground, just near the track. In process, the overhead electricity line on both the up and down tracks was damaged thereby affecting railway traffic.

Apart from the line, two electricity poles were also damaged. It took an effort on part of railway officials and personnel for nearly three hours to restore the traffic. Trains that had stopped at the outer railway stations were brought to Bhopal using diesel engines, sources said. By 4am, the traffic had been restored. However, five trains on the down line and 12 trains on the up track were delayed. Nearly a dozen goods trains were also delayed.