A train accident in Odisha, India on June 2 resulted in the loss of 275 lives and left over 900 people injured. Among those affected are 44 passengers from Andhra Pradesh who remain untraced. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) has been unable to obtain information about the unreserved seat passengers on the crashed trains. The accident occurred when the Coromandel Express collided with a goods train causing 10-12 of its coaches to derail onto an adjacent track. Another train heading to Howrah from Bengaluru crashed into the derailed coaches, causing three of its own coaches to skid off the track.
The APSDMA obtained the details of the missing persons from the district administration of Visakhapatnam and the Divisional Railway Manager of Vijayawada. Out of the 44 missing individuals, eight have not responded to phone calls, four have disconnected phone numbers, and 31 have unavailable phone numbers. One person provided an incorrect phone number, making it difficult to determine their identity. The APSDMA has received distress calls from family members of two Andhra Pradesh residents, Syed Abdul Basha and Ambati Ramulu. Basha was found to be safe at his residence in Hyderabad, but officials are still searching for Ramulu, who worked as a watchman at Chaitanya apartments in Vijayawada.
Concerns have been raised about Ramulu’s well-being as his daughter mentioned his mental health struggles. It is unclear whether Ramulu boarded any of the trains involved in the incident. The APSDMA has obtained Ramulu’s photograph and is actively searching for him.
