Kothavalasa-Kirandul Line boulder mishap claims two more lives

In a tragic turn of events, the Kottavalasa-Kirandul (KK) Line boulder mishap, which took place on 5 May 2020, has claimed two more lives. As per latest reports, the two workers succumbed to death, in the wee hours of Wednesday, after suffering major injuries. This takes the death toll to three. The incident occurred between Chimidapalli and Borra Guhalu railway stations in the early hours of Tuesday, due to heavy rains. Another landslip occurred while the workers were clearing away the previous boulders that had fallen in the Kothavalasa-Kirandul Line boulder mishap. This took place around 1 pm, resulting in the death of one and injuring six others.

The two workers, identified as Veera Swamy and Suri Babu, succumbed to their injuries on Wednesday. Both of them were 45 years old. The worker who passed away on Tuesday was identified as V Suresh (39) and had died on the spot. While Suresh was a railway employee, the other two victims were employees working on a contract basis with the Railway Department. Reports confirmed that the physical condition of other injured workers remains grave.

While all the injured workers are currently seeking treatment, the damaged rail track is expected to be restored by the 7 May, 2020. The Kottavalasa-Kirandul line is frequently used for transporting iron ore from Kirandul to Visakhapatnam. While the line accommodates 12-13 trains every day, the Waltair Division authorities have permitted only 3-4 trains at present, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

It may be recalled that this is not the first time a boulder mishap of such kind has occurred on the Kothavalasa-Kirandul Line. Back in 2017, the movement of both passenger and goods trains on this line was heavily disrupted when a track and a pier of the bridge were damaged due to boulder fall on the track between Chimidipalli and Borraguhalu stations. The track was restored in three months and reopened in December 2017, much to the delight of tourists and officials.