In India’s Andhra Pradesh state, a tragic train collision on Sunday claimed the lives of at least 10 people, leaving around 25 others injured, as reported by a senior government official.
The railway ministry issued a statement, attributing the derailment of two coaches of a passenger train to “human error.” The collision was a result of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train overshooting a signal between Alamanda and Kantakapalle.
A senior government official, Nagalakshmi. S, stationed in Vizianagaram, a district near the accident site, shared that the collision left 27 individuals injured, with over 90 passengers onboard the two affected coaches.
The incident transpired when the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train came to a halt due to an overhead cable break. Subsequently, an oncoming train, the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Express service, collided with it, leading to the derailment of carriages from the stationary train, a revelation made by a senior railways official.
In response to the tragedy, Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy swiftly ordered relief measures and the dispatch of ambulances from Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli, the nearest districts to Vizianagaram. He also instructed various government departments to coordinate disaster-relief efforts.
This unfortunate incident follows a recent train crash, the worst in India in two decades, claiming the lives of 292 people. In that dreadful accident, a passenger train collided with a stationary freight train before striking another passenger train traveling in the opposite direction. Federal police had arrested three railway employees on charges of culpable homicide and tampering with evidence.
Indian Railways, the world’s fourth-largest train network, is a state-run monopoly overseen by the Railway Board, which reports to the federal Railways Ministry.
Currently, the railway network is in the midst of a $30 billion transformation, encompassing the introduction of new trains and the modernization of stations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a social media statement, expressed his involvement in the situation, assuring that “Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected.”
