- Heavy rains in Odisha's Keonjhar district halted Vande Bharat Express for nearly seven hours
- Train stopped at Guhalidiihi station due to three feet of water over tracks
- Passengers remained onboard with no serious injuries reported
Torrential rains in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Saturday brought life to a standstill and severely disrupted railway services, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded aboard the Vande Bharat Express for nearly seven hours.
The high-speed train, which was en route from Tatanagar to Berhampur, came to a halt around 7 PM at Guhalidiihi station after heavy waterlogging submerged the railway tracks. Nearly three feet of water was reportedly flowing over the tracks, making it unsafe for the train to proceed.
Passengers were forced to remain inside the stationary train for hours. No serious health issues or injuries were reported. Railway authorities said that the safety of passengers was their top priority and assured that no untoward incident occurred during the ordeal.
With no immediate improvement in the waterlogged tracks, the railway department eventually dispatched a rescue engine to tow the train to Kendujhargarh station. The Vande Bharat Express finally resumed its journey late at night, over seven hours behind schedule.
The administration has been urged to improve response mechanisms during extreme weather events, especially as rainfall continues to affect multiple districts in Odisha.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several parts of the state including Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) over the next 24 hours due to a low-pressure area formed over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining north Odisha. A yellow alert is in place for 17 other districts, predicting heavy rain with thunderstorms and gusty winds.
In the Northeastern part of the country, train services connecting South Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, and the rest of India via Guwahati were restored on July 4 after being disrupted by a landslide in Assam's Dima Hasao district.
The Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section had been blocked by boulders and debris between Dihakho and Mupa stations. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) carried out overnight restoration work, with the Agartala-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express being the first train to pass through the cleared section.
