A collision between two passenger trains in India’s Andhra Pradesh state on Sunday resulted in the tragic loss of at least 11 lives and left approximately 50 individuals injured, according to senior railway official Biswajit Sahu.
Human Error Blamed:
The railway ministry released a statement attributing the collision to “human error.” The preliminary investigation found that the accident occurred due to the “overshooting of the signal” by the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train between Alamanda and Kantakapalle.
Sequence of Events:
The accident transpired when the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train stopped due to a break in an overhead cable.
The oncoming train, a Visakhapatnam-Palasa Express service, collided with it, resulting in the derailment of carriages from the stationary train.
Emergency Response:
Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy ordered immediate relief measures and dispatched ambulances from Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli, the nearest districts to Vizianagaram.
Coordination with other government departments for disaster relief efforts was also initiated.
Disruption to Rail Services:
Following the incident, 12 trains were canceled, 15 were diverted, and seven were partially canceled to manage the situation.
Alternative bus arrangements were made for affected passengers, and efforts were underway to recover the tracks, as reported by Biswajit Sahu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs200,000 from the PM’s National Relief Fund for the families of each deceased victim and Rs50,000 for the injured.
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also announced an ex-gratia of Rs1 million for the families of the deceased.
Prime Minister’s Involvement:
Following the accident, Prime Minister Modi contacted Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to assess the situation.
The government is actively involved in coordinating relief efforts and providing support to the victims and their families.
Previous Railway Tragedy:
This tragic incident follows a severe train accident in India a few months ago, where 292 individuals lost their lives.
In that incident, a passenger train collided with a stationary freight train and derailed, striking another train traveling in the opposite direction.
