NIA begins probe into Hirakhand Express accident

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun its probe into the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express accident near Kuneru in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh which claimed 41 lives. Individual witnesses of the accident or passengers who survived the Saturday night’s mishap can depose before the probe team as witness to the tragedy. 

The depositions will be received at the office of circle superintendent at Railway DRM’s Office, Waltair Division in Visakhapatnam from today. The NIA team’s investigation would cover every aspect to ascertain the exact cause of the incident. Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu during his visit to Kuneru on Sunday said, all angles will be probed and “stringent action” will be taken against those found responsible for it. NIA is already probing the alleged role of Pakistan’s Inter



Services Agency (ISI) behind the Indore-Patna Express derailment near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh that claimed 150 lives. 

NIA team members yesterday met the injured passengers at Rayagada hospital before proceeding to Kuneru, the site of the accident. The six-member team interacted with local people who are the firsthand witnesses soon after the incident. On another front Andhra Pradesh's Crime Investigation Department (CID) also visited the accident site and started inquiry into the happening, while the Commissioner, Railway Safety too began the process of ascertaining the cause of the train derailment meeting the injured at Rayagada and Parvatipuram hospitals besides visiting the mishap spot. Meanwhile, the Railway officials have identified 40 of the dead passengers and handed over their bodies to their respective families.