Landslide caused Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto derailment: Railways

Thane: Ten coaches of the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express derailed in Maharashtra's Thane district on Tuesday due to a landslide, officials said.

According to Railways spokesperson Anil Saxena, there were no reports of any casualties or injuries so far in the incident which occurred at around 6.30 a.m., between the Asangaon and Vashind stations.

Saxena told IANS: "Engine and nine coaches of the Duronto Express derailed. Prima facie it appears landslide due to heavy rains caused the accident."

Heavy rains over the past three days caused a portion of the tracks to breach in the Kasara Ghats section.

Central Railways spokesperson Sunil Udasi appreciated the driver's prompt action. "The driver applied the emergency brakes on time," Udasi told IANS.

He said the stranded passengers were being shifted to their destination by buses and taxis.

Top Central Railway officials on Tuesday morning rushed to the spot to supervise relief and rescue operations.

The entire railway line has been affected, including the suburban services in the Mumbai-Thane sectors, hitting morning office peak hour commuters hard.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Mumbai-Pune-Nashik and the Konkan have been battered by torrential rains this week.

This was the third major incident of derailment in the past two weeks in the country and the second affecting the Mumbai suburban sector within a week.

On Friday, four coaches of a Mumbai local derailed near Mahim.