13 killed, 40 injured as trains collide in Andhra Pradesh

At least 13 people were killed and 40 injured on Sunday when two trains collided in Andhra Pradesh, said police, months after the horrific three-train collision in Odisha that killed over 280, Indian media reported.

The accident occurred on Sunday (October 29) at around 7 pm between Alamanda and Kantakapalle near Kothsavatsala in the state of India, reports NDTV.

It is learned that a special passenger train going from Visakhapatnam to Palasa had “stopped on tracks” between Alamanda and Kantakapalle near Kothsavatsala “due to no signal” when the Vizag-Raigad passenger train rammed it, derailing three coaches. 

“Till now 40 people have been injured. 32 have been shifted to Vizianagaram Government Hospital. One in Vishaka NRI Hospital, two in Medicover Hospital, and 4 are in critical condition. All the injured are from Andhra Pradesh,” Vizianagaram District administration said on Monday (October 30) morning.

The Divisional Railway Manager said as many as 3 coaches were derailed in the accident. “There was a rear collision between the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train and the Visakhapatnam-Ragada passenger train. 3 coaches were involved in the accident,” he also said. 

Rescue operations are underway and local administration and NDRF were informed for assistance and ambulances. Accident relief trains reached the site, the Divisional Railway Manager added. 

Railways sources said the tragedy occurred due to “human error”, adding that “signaling was not noticed by loco pilot”.

Expressing shock over the incident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed officials to pay a compensation of INR 10 lakh each to the family of the deceased and INR 2 lakh each to the injured from the state.

He also announced a compensation of INR 2 lakh each for the family of the deceased and INR 50,000 each for the injured from other states, according to an official release.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and reviewed the situation.

Pictures from the site showed the derailed coaches and people crowding around. War room in Delhi railway ministry is monitoring the situation, the Railways source said, informing that the East Coast Railway has released helpline numbers.

Train accidents are frequent in India. On 2 June 2023, three trains collided in the Balasore district, in the state of Odisha in eastern India. The Coromandel Express entered the passing loop instead of the main line near Bahanaga Bazar railway station at full speed and collided with a goods train. A total of 296 people were killed in the crash and more than 1,200 others were injured.

--Agencies