Andhra trains collided after driver missed red signal: Railways official
A preliminary assessment by the East Coast Railway (ECR) reportedly found the train collision in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram on Sunday evening—which killed 13 and injured 50 people—was caused by "human error." A railway official told NDTV the accident took place after the loco pilot of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada Passenger Special train missed a red signal and hit the rear end of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Passenger Special.
Detailed investigation will make picture clearer: ECR
ECR Chief Public Relations Officer Biswajit Sahu told NDTV, "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." He said the driver of the train was also killed in the accident. Sahu said the picture would be clearer only after a detailed investigation into the incident.
Joint rescue, relief operation underway; 18 trains canceled
According to reports, the accident took place at around 7:10pm on Sunday. Rescue and relief operations, led by the local police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, and revenue authorities, are still underway, according to Waltair Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Sourabh Prasad. Reportedly, at least 18 trains have been canceled, while 22 others have been diverted following the collision.
PM Modi expressed shock, announced exgratia for victims' families
Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock and announced Rs. 2 lakh assistance for the families of those who died and Rs. 50,000 for the injured. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each for the families of the deceased, Rs. 2.5 lakh for those who suffered severe injuries and Rs. 50,000 for passengers with minor injuries.
Human errors caused 192 train accidents in 5 years: CRS
Earlier on June 2, a triple train collision in Odisha's Balasore killed nearly 300 people. Also caused by human error, it was one of the deadliest railway accidents in two decades. India—with one of the world's largest rail networks—witnessed 192 train accidents between 2017 and 2022 due to human error by the railway staff and general public, per Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) data.
