Keonjhar, Sept. 1: Torrential rain triggered by low-pressure over the Bay of Bengal has put a spanner in the rescue works at Tangiriapal railway station in Keonjhar district where two goods trains collided two days ago.

The railway rescue train and crane from Khurda Road junction has been deployed to restore the damaged railway track and normalise services.

Apart from the Railway Protection Force, the East Coast Railway authorities have deployed three platoons of police from both Keonjhar and Jajpur districts to clear the debris.

The rescue operation suffered a jolt owing to inclement weather, the authorities said.

Five railway employees, including the train drivers, their assistants and a senior loco supervisor, are feared dead in the head-on collision.

The rescue team has recovered two bodies from the mangled wreckage of the goods trains. “Two more bodies are under the mangled engines,” an official said.

“We have traced four bodies. We are on a look out of another suspected body in the wreckage as there were five persons, including drivers and assistant drivers, in both the trains,” they said.

The rescue team recovered one body yesterday and found another today. The bodies have been sent to the sub-divisional Headquarters Hospital at Anandapur in Keonjhar district for post-mortem.

“We are trying to recover the bodies. So far, there is no indication of the fifth body. The downpour has hindered the use of gas-cutter to extricate bodies from the engine cabin. It will take more time to clear the wreckage. I hope by Thursday night all work will be over,” said Basanta Kumar Sethy, inspector in-charge of Brahmanipal police station. Sethy is leading the rescue operation at the mishap site.

“While bodies of assistant drivers B. Oram and A.K. Rajak were recovered, bodies of driver G.T. Rao and loco supervisor T.N. Sahu are still under the mangled engines,” Sethy said.

After the accident, both the engines and wagons derailed and overturned on the tracks obstructing the rail link between Keonjhar and Bhubaneswar.

Many goods trains are stranded en route. This happens to be a key line between mineral-rich Joda and port town Paradip. This has put a damper in iron-ore transportation business.