A passenger train on the Howrah-Chennai line overshot the signal and collided with another rail from behind, resulting in 13 deaths and 40 injuries in an Andhra Pradesh train tragedy last evening.
A Vizag-Rayagada passenger rail collided with a special passenger train traveling between Visakhapatnam and Palasa from behind when it was traveling at a reduced pace on the main line between Alamanda and Kantakapalle due to there was no signal.
The locomotive and two coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger rail, as well as the final three coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa rail, derailed. On one side, a coach rolled over and came to rest on a goods train wagon.
Vizianagaram Collector Nagalakshmi told that there were now 13 deaths, up from nine the previous night. They hope to finish the rescue operations by this morning. Many hospitals are treating at least forty injured people.
22 trains have been diverted and 18 canceled thus far, according to Mr. Biswajit Sahu, PRO, said this morning. He added that the pilot of the Vizag-Rayagada loco, who perished in the collision, could have been at responsible for the collapse. Earlier, railway authorities had suggested that the loco pilot could not have observed the signal.
Images taken at the scene last night showed people running around and the coaches overturning. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the site was cleaned before midnight, with the exception of the derailed and damaged coaches.
