AP train accident: Death toll at 14; Railways cites ‘human error’ by driver

According to Vizianagaram Joint Collector Mayur Ashok, while 13 people died at the accident site itself, a person undergoing treatment succumbed to his injuries.

The condition of at least four of the injured is said to be critical. A senior Railway official said the injured had been shifted to hospitals in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.

The guard of the Palasa Passenger M S Rao (58) died in the accident, along with the loco pilot, S M S Rao (52), and his assistant, Chiranjeevi (29), of the Rayagada Passenger train.

Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of East-Coast Railway, Biswajit Sahu said "14 passengers have died. This includes a loco pilot and a guard. About 50 people were injured out of which 29 are still in hospital. Rest had minor injuries and they have been discharged. Restoration work is going on and by this evening, hopefully, tracks will be clear to resume operation."

Waltair Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad of the East Coast Railway Zone (ECR) confirmed the death of the guard.

Railways cites ‘signal overshooting’ as reason

The Indian Railways had cited human error as a possible cause behind the collision with CPRO Sahu stating that signal overshooting by one of the drivers may have caused the mishap.

Sahu told the media that it is possible that the driver (who was killed in the accident) of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train missed a red signal and hit the rear end of the Palasa passenger train.

Sahu, however, said that the same can be confirmed only after due probe into the incident.

CM to meet injured at hospital, skip accident site visit

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was expected to visit the accident site, will now only visit the injured at the Vizianagaram hospital. His programme was altered on the advice of railway authorities who said it would affect relief activities at the accident site. The chief minister would instead visit the hospital and inquire about the treatment of the injured persons.

Reddy has also instructed officials to pay an ex-gratia amount of ₹10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and ₹2 lakh each to the injured from the state.

He also announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 each for the injured from other states.

While relief and rescue operations are likely to wind up by the day’s end, the Railways so far has cancelled 39 trains and diverted 24 on the Howrah-Chennai line.

Relief work underway

Officials of the East Coast Railway (ECR) said at around 7 pm on Sunday, the Palasa Passenger train hit the Rayagada Passenger train from behind at Kantakapalli, causing three coaches to derail.

Prasad told the media that all the affected coaches have been looked into and the locomotive was being lifted to see for a final round of checking by the NDRF if any bodies are still trapped inside the coaches or the locomotive or in the mangled mess.

Five coaches plus the locomotive got mangled. Three coaches were of the train which was ahead (Palasa Passenger) and two coaches and the engine were of the Rayagada passenger, the DRM said.

He noted the clearance of tracks is also underway. As part of the clearance work, Prasad said two coaches were taken away and the third coach is also being tackled presently, adding that train movement could be restored today.

He observed traffic on the down line towards Kolkata could be restored before noon and on the line towards Vijayawada sometime in the afternoon.

Further, Prasad said four OHE masts, railway electrical infrastructure, have been damaged at the accident site, spanning all the three lines.

Following the accident, several trains have either been cancelled or diverted or rescheduled by East Coast Railway and South Central Railway.

Odisha CM sends disaster management minister to visit Andhra

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marandi to visit Vizianagaram in the wake of the accident.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Patnaik also asked Marandi to meet the injured persons undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Patnaik had on Sunday night directed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu, and the district magistrates of Rayagada and Koraput to extend immediate assistance in the rescue and relief operations.

(With inputs from agencies)