13 Lives Lost in Andhra Train Accident Tragedy

Accident Site Cleared as Investigations Continue...

The train accident at Kantakapalli in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram claimed the lives of 13 individuals on Monday, with four of the over 50 injured individuals reported to be in critical condition, according to officials.

Officials have reported that among the victims in the train accident, the engineers of one of the trains involved in the crash, the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train, have tragically lost their lives. The accident appears to be due to human error as the train's operators didn't stop when the signal was red.

Officials have mentioned that Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw and Railway Board Chairman Jaya Varma Sinha were overseeing the situation from a designated war room. Ashwani Vaishnaw also posted on the social media platform X, indicating that apart from the derailed and impacted coaches, the rest of the coaches have been successfully removed from the accident site.

On Sunday, Vaishnaw announced financial assistance for the victims and their families, which includes ₹10 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives, ₹2.5 lakh for individuals with serious injuries, and ₹50,000 for those who sustained minor injuries.

The train heading towards Rayagada collided with the Vishakhapatnam-Palasa train, which was waiting on the track between Alamanda and Kantakpalli railway stations. This collision caused four carriages of the second train to derail onto the nearby track.

Rescue efforts were hindered due to the crash, which caused damage to electrical lines and resulted in a power outage, plunging the area into darkness before emergency responders could arrive at the scene.

Due to the blockage of the tracks following the accident, a minimum of 13 trains had to be canceled, diverted, or terminated.

This accident happened a few months after a major train disaster on June 2 in Odisha, where faulty signaling caused 288 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. It involved a passenger train colliding with a stationary freight train and then hitting another passenger train.

This month, a derailment near Raghunathpur station in Bihar's Buxar district led to the tragic loss of four lives and left 80 passengers injured. The incident involved coaches of the Delhi-Kamakhya Northeast Express.

Vizianagaram district collector S Nagalakshmi has confirmed the identification of 10 out of the 13 passengers who lost their lives in the accident. He also noted that all the victims, both deceased and injured, were from Andhra Pradesh. Currently, 32 of the injured individuals are receiving treatment at Vizianagaram government hospital, with some of the seriously injured individuals being transferred to corporate hospitals in Visakhapatnam. Four of them are reported to be in critical condition.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has declared an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives and ₹2 lakh for the injured individuals. He is also planning to visit the accident site on Monday.