Hirakhand Express train derailment: Sabotage not ruled out, says railway official

New Delhi: Sabotage cannot be ruled out in the derailment of an Odisha-bound train in Andhra Pradesh as the area is a Maoist stronghold, a railway official said on Sunday.

At least 27 persons were killed and over 50 others injured when the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express derailed on Saturday night near Kuneru station in Vizianagaram district.

"Sabotage is not ruled out as the area where the derailment happened was a Maoist area," the official told IANS.

The railways have announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the nearest kin of those who died and Rs 50,000 for those injured, Chief Public Relations officer Anil Saxena said.