Daijiworld Media Network - Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur, Jul 19: A potentially serious rail accident was narrowly avoided in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district on Sunday morning after an overhead electric wire snapped and fell onto the Tata-Howrah Steel Express while it was crossing a railway bridge over the Subarnarekha River, railway officials said.

The incident occurred at around 7 a.m. near Chandrekha village in the Galudih police station area on the Ghatr railway bridge, forcing the train to come to a standstill in the middle of the bridge. No injuries or casualties were reported.

According to railway officials, the overhead traction wire snapped unexpectedly as the Steel Express was travelling from Tatanagar to Howrah, disrupting the power supply and bringing the train to an immediate halt.

Passengers said they first heard a loud creaking noise before noticing sparks from the overhead line. Moments later, the high-voltage wire fell onto the roof of the train, triggering panic among those on board. However, built-in railway safety systems prevented the incident from escalating into a major accident.

With the train stranded on the bridge for a prolonged period, several passengers got off and walked along the railway track towards Galudih. Many later reached a nearby national highway, where they arranged alternative transport to continue their journey.

Following the incident, senior railway officials, technical teams, personnel from the Traction Rolling Distribution (TRD) wing and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) rushed to the site to begin restoration work.

Power supply to the affected section was immediately suspended to ensure safety before repair work on the damaged overhead line commenced.

Railway authorities said train services on the Tatanagar-Howrah route were disrupted due to the incident. Restoration efforts are currently underway, and operations will resume only after the damaged overhead equipment is repaired and the track is certified safe for train movement.