Iron ore 'transportation' hit after Maoists derail train

Iron ore transportation from Chhattisgarh' s Dantewada district's excavation sites was stopped Wednesday as railway authorities failed to repair rail tracks uprooted by Maoist guerrillas, which had led to derailing of 11 wagons of an ore-loaded goods train a day earlier.

Maoist insurgents, who enjoy dominance in the state's southern Dantewada district, uprooted about seven metres of rail track Tuesday. Eleven wagons of an iron ore loaded goods train derailed while on way to the port city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The derailment took place between Dantewada and Kamaloor railway stations.

Police officials said railway officials reached the accident site Wednesday morning to repair the tracks. It is expected to take at least 24-48 hours to restore normal traffic.

The National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC) has three major mining facilities at Dantewada's Bailadilla hills. It excavates about 20 million tonnes of iron ore annually to supply several major domestic steel makers besides exporting to Japan via Visakhapatnam.