New Delhi/Ahmedabad/Mumbai: The Vande Bharat Express train running between Mumbai Central and Gandhinagar suffered minor damage after hitting a herd of buffaloes in Gujarat on late Thursday morning, officials said.
No passenger was injured in the incident that occurred around 11.15 am near Ahmedabad when the train was on its way to Gandhinagar and it reached the final destination four minutes early, they said, adding three buffaloes perished.
“The Vande Bharat express running between Mumbai Central and Gandhinagar Capital stations had left Mumbai this morning. The front portion of the train’s engine got damaged after it hit some buffaloes that came on track around 11.15 am. The incident took place between Vatva and Maninagar areas of Ahmedabad,” Western Railway (WR) spokesperson Jitendra Kumar Jayant said.
“The damaged portion was repaired and the train left for Gandhinagar. The train departed for Mumbai from Gandhinagar Capital (on return journey) at its scheduled time (in the afternoon). No passenger was injured in the incident,” he said in Ahmedabad. Another Railway spokesperson said the front portion of the engine was damaged, but no functional part of the train was harmed.
“Three to four buffaloes suddenly came on the way of the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat, damaging the nose made up of FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic). The train left for Gandhinagar just after removing carcasses (within eight minutes),” he said. Railway authorities were trying to counsel nearby villagers not to leave their cattle near the track, he said.
