AP train accident: Toll rises to 14; train suspected to have overshot signal
Two rear coaches of Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train and locomotive of Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train get derailed
At least 14 people were killed and more than 50 injured after two trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai line in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday (October 29) evening, police said.
A senior official of the East Coast Railway (ECR) said around 7 pm, the Palasa passenger train hit the Rayagada passenger train from behind at Kankatapalli, causing three coaches to derail.
According to the information provided by Vizianagaram Collector S Nagalakshmi, at least 32 people were injured.
A senior railway official said the injured were being shifted to hospitals in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.
Ex-gratia payments
In a post on X, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government has announced ex-gratia payments for the victims.
“All injured shifted to hospitals. Ex-gratia compensation disbursement started — Rs 10 Lakh in case of death, Rs 2 Lakh towards grievous and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries,” he said on the microblogging site.
Expressing shock, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also instructed officials to pay an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured from the state.
He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured from other states, according to an official release.
Some in serious condition
Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad went to the site of the accident.
“We are in the process of checking all the coaches. Once that is done, we will be able to ascertain the exact number of the deceased. We have sent 13 injured people to the government primary healthcare centre. There may be some people with simple injuries,” Prasad told PTI.
He further said they were in the process of separating the entangled coaches and would get a clearer picture once that is done.
“We have received 32 injured passengers from the accident site and some of them are in a serious condition. Besides, some injured passengers have been admitted to other hospitals also,” Dr Anila Sunandini, Superintendent of the Government General Hospital, Vizianagaram, told PTI.
How it happened
Biswajit Sahu, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the ECR, said the accident took place between Alamanda and Kantakapalli in the Vizianagaram-Kottavalasa railway section of the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway zone at about 7 pm.
He said train number 08532 (Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger) and 08504 (Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger special) were involved in the accident, adding that the Rayagada passenger train had overshot the signal.
Two rear coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train and the locomotive of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train got derailed, the official added. Rescue operations are underway, with the DRM, Waltair and his team on the spot. Accident relief trains and other rescue equipment have been engaged, the official said.
On Sunday, East Coast Railway (ECoR) said a human error could have resulted in the collision. “Likely reason: Human error. Overshooting of the signal by Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train,” ECoR CPRO Biswajit Sahoo told reporters in Bhubaneswar.
While explaining the term “overshooting”, the CPRO said it occurs when a train, instead of stopping at a red signal, moves on.
Message from PMO
The PMO said on X that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in touch with the railway minister and all assistance was being provided to those affected.
“PM @narendramodi spoke to Railway Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the wake of the unfortunate train derailment between Alamanda and Kantakapalle section. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected. The Prime Minister extends condolences to the bereaved families and prays that the injured recover soon,” it said.
Vaishnaw said all passengers have been shifted from the accident spot.
“Rescue operations are underway. All passengers shifted. @narendramodi Ji reviewed the situation. Spoke to the CM of Andhra Pradesh. State govt and railway teams are working in close coordination,” he said on X.
Reddy instructed officials to undertake rescue operations. He asked them to arrange a sufficient number of ambulances to ferry the injured.
Andhra Pradesh minister Botcha Satyanarayana also reached the spot and is overseeing the rescue operations.
Senior officials of Vizianagaram district are also at the site.
The rescue efforts are being hampered by the darkness. Meanwhile, the ECR has set up helplines.
Local administration and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were informed, seeking assistance and ambulances, and accident relief trains have reached the site, the officials said.
(With agency inputs)
