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At least 13 people were killed and 54 others injured when two passenger trains collided in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district on Sunday evening. The Andhra Pradesh train accident was caused by human error. The driver of the Rayagada passenger train missed a red signal.
The accident occurred when the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger special (08504) rammed into the rear of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger (08532), which had stopped on the tracks due to a break in an overhead cable.
Cause of Andhra Pradesh Train Accident
A preliminary investigation by the railway authorities has found that human error and signal violation were the main causes of the collision.
Biswajit Sahu, Chief Public Relations Officer of East Coast Railway while speaking to NDTV stated that the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of the Rayagada-bound train had “overshot the signal” and failed to stop at a safe distance from the Palasa-bound train. Both the loco pilots were among those who died in the accident.
"The driver of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train was responsible for the accident, as he overshot a signal and hit the rear end of the Palasa train. The driver of the Rayagada train was also killed in the accident," said Biswajit Sahu, Chief Public Relations Officer at East Coast Railways.
The impact of the collision caused four coaches of the second train to derail and fall on the adjacent track. The rescue and relief operations were carried out by hundreds of emergency workers, who used cranes, cutters and gas torches to clear the wreckage and pull out the trapped passengers. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, where four of them are said to be in critical condition.
Union Railways Minister expressed condolences
Union Railways Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw expressed his condolences and said he was in touch with the railway officials and local authorities.
The accident has disrupted the rail traffic on the route, with 33 trains being cancelled and 22 others being diverted. The railway officials expect the affected track to be cleared for traffic by Monday evening.
"Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the tragic train crash, directed the officials to pay a compensation of ₹ 10 lakh each to the family members of the victims and ₹ 2 lakh each to the injured.
The state has announced the compensation. He also announced a compensation of ₹ 2 lakh each to the family of those who lost their lives and ₹ 50,000 each for those injured by other states, according to an official release.
The accident has raised questions about the safety and maintenance of the railway infrastructure in India, which has witnessed several rail accidents in recent years. The worst rail accident in India’s history occurred in June this year, when three trains collided in Odisha’s Balasore district, killing 292 people and injuring thousands more.
List of trains that have been cancelled
| Train No. | Train Name | Origin | Destination | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08527 | Raipur- Visakhapatnam Passenger | Raipur | Visakhapatnam | Cancelled |
| 08528 | Visakhapatnam- Raipur Passenger | Visakhapatnam | Raipur | Cancelled |
| 08532 | Palasa-Visakhapatnam Special | Palasa | Visakhapatnam | Cancelled |
| 08531 | Visakhapatnam-Korba Express | Visakhapatnam | Korba | Cancelled |
| 08533 | Palasa-Visakhapatnam Special | Palasa | Visakhapatnam | Cancelled |
| 08534 | Visakhapatnam-Paradeep Express | Visakhapatnam | Paradeep | Cancelled |
| 08535 | Paradeep-Visakhapatnam Express | Paradeep | Visakhapatnam | Cancelled |
| 08536 | Korba-Visakhapatnam Express | Korba | Visakhapatnam | Cancelled |
| 08504 | Rayagada-Visakhapatnam Passenger Special | Rayagada | Visakhapatnam | Diverted via Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Parvatipuram, Rayagada |
| 08503 | Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam Special | Vizianagaram | Visakhapatnam | Diverted via Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Parvatipuram, Rayagada |
| 08537 | Visakhapatnam-Gunupur Special | Visakhapatnam | Gunupur | Diverted via Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Parvatipuram, Rayagada |
| 08538 | Gunupur-Visakhapatnam Special | Gunupur | Visakhapatnam | Diverted via Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Parvatipuram, Rayagada |
List of trains that have been short-terminated
| Train No. | Train Name | Short-Terminated at | Short Originating from | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20809 | Sambalpur-Nanded | Vizianagaram | Sambalpur | |
| 17479 | Puri-Tirupati Express | Balugaon | Puri | |
| 07468 | Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram | Pendurthi | Visakhapatnam | |
| 11019 | CST Mumbai-Bhubaneswar Konark Express | Visakhapatnam | CST Mumbai | |
| 11020 | Bhubaneswar-CST Mumbai | CST Mumbai | Visakhapatnam | |
| Puri-Chennai Express | Palasa | Puri | Will return as a Passenger Special to Puri | |
| Yesvantpur-Puri Express | Visakhapatnam | Will remain cancelled from Visakhapatnam to Puri | ||
| Tirupati-Bhubaneswar Express | Visakhapatnam | Will remain cancelled from Visakhapatnam to Bhubaneswar |
List of trains that will be diverted
| Train No. | Train Name | Departure Station | Diversion Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03357 | Baruni-Coimbatore Special Express | Barauni | Diverted, specific diversion details not provided |
| 18189 | Tata-Ernakulam Express | Tata | Diverted, specific diversion details not provided |
| 11020 | Bhubaneswar-CST Mumbai-Konark Express | Bhubaneswar | Diverted, specific diversion details not provided |
| 12703 | Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express | Howrah | Diverted, specific diversion details not provided |
| 12245 | Howrah-SVM Bangalore Duronto Express | Howrah | Diverted, specific diversion details not provided |
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