At least 14 people were killed and 50 passengers injured in a train accident in India’s southern state Andhra Pradesh. The two trains collided with each other in Vizianagaram district on Sunday evening.
Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train hit Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train from behind. As per the preliminary information, the accident was due to human error, and further investigation is underway.
Due to no signal, a special passenger train between Visakhapatnam and Palasa was at a restricted speed when a Vizag-Rayagada passenger train hit it from behind.
This is the second train accident in the past six months. Nearly five months ago a horrific accident involving three trains killed over 280 passengers in Odisha state.
According to East Coast Railway Division officials, the accident took place between Alamanda and Kantakappalli stations on the Howrah-Chennai route. The collision derailed the engine of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger and the last two coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger.
The accident may have occurred due to the fault of the Vizag-Rayagada loco pilot, who died in the impact of the collision. Railways sources had earlier said that signaling may not have been noticed by the loco pilot.
The West Coast Railway has started a helpline, and the National Disaster Management Organization has also been informed. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy has instructed the state authorities to provide all possible assistance in rescue operations.
Due to this accident, many trains in the country are being diverted, some have been canceled, while some trains were short-terminated, the Ministry of Railways informed on X.
East Coast Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Biswajit Sahu said that 18 trains were canceled on Monday and 22 trains were diverted. He added that railway officials cleared the tracks by 4 p.m. on Monday.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy issued orders to take immediate relief measures and send as many ambulances as possible to the accident site from nearby districts of Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.
He also ordered the railway authorities to coordinate with other government departments including health, police, and revenue to take relief measures in providing immediate medical care to the injured.
Reddy has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those killed in the train accident. This financial help is for the people of Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, the families of those who died but are from other states will be given Rs Two lakh each.
Passengers from Andhra Pradesh who were seriously injured will get a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each. The passengers from other states will get Rs 50 thousand each.
Prime Minister Modi has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of each deceased, while financial assistance of Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured.
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