Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Railways Bandaru Dattatreya on December 21 said the identification of persons killed in the Bangalore Express derailment is getting delayed as most of the victims were travelling in general compartment.

"Most of the victims were travelling in a badly-damaged general compartment attached next to the engine of the train," Dattatreya, who arrived in Hyderabad from New Delhi on December 21 morning, told reporters before leaving for the accident spot by a special train from Secunderabad.

To a query whether there was any possibility of sabotage, he said, "It is premature to come to any conclusion whether it was sabotage or technical snag. We can say something about it only after getting preliminary inquiry report."

Relief and rescue operations are in full swing and stranded passengers are being taken to their destination, Dattatreya said.

Some senior South Central Railway officials and relatives of some of the passengers accompanied the minister in the special train.

PTI