The death toll in the train collision incident that occurred in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district rose to 14, and 50 people sustained injuries, as reported by the news agency ANI. The railway officials have requested Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to go directly to the hospital instead of inspecting the scene at the train accident spot due to the ongoing restoration work
Two trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai line in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday evening. The officials stated that the bogies involved in the accident were removed from the incident site and the track restoration work is being carried out on war footing.
"On the request of the railway officials, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will go directly to the hospital instead of inspecting the scene at the train accident spot. Officials said that the bogies involved in the accident were removed from the incident site and the track restoration work is being carried out on war footing. Railway officials appealed that if CM comes to the spot, there is a possibility that the track restoration work will be delayed. CM Jagan Mohan Reddy will visit the injured who are being treated at Vizianagaram Hospital," Chief Minister's Office said, as quoted by ANI.
CPRO, East Coast Railway Biswajit Sahu, said "A total of 14 people have lost their lives in the accident so far and around 50 others are injured, out of which 29 people are admitted to the hospital and remaining have been discharged. We are carrying out rescue operations and expecting the tracks to be fit by the evening..."
Two trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai line in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday evening. The Palasa passenger train hit the Rayagada passenger train from behind at Kankatapalli at around 7 p.m., causing three coaches to derail.
Out of the total number of deceased, seven people have been identified, Vizianagaram SP Deepika said, as per ANI. Speaking on the incident, a fire official Suresh Kumar said, "After the accident yesterday, we were instructed by our DG and accordingly three teams came here from Odisha. We have been assisting the NDRF and SDRF in the rescue and restoration work".
Earlier, Sahu had said that 11 people died and 50 others were injured in the incident. He also said that train sevices were affected due to the incident. According to a Railway official, 18 trains were cancelled and 22 trains were diverted. CPRO, East Coast Railway Biswajit Sahu said that the rescue operation is over now and the present focus is on the track restoration work.
"So far, 11 people have died and 50 others are injured. We are presently focusing on the track restoration work. The rescue operation is over now...We have arranged buses and trains for the stranded passengers. A total of 18 trains have been cancelled and 22 trains have been diverted. We are trying to clear the track by 4 pm today," Biswajit Sahu said, as quoted by ANI.
In a post on X, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government has announced ex-gratia payments for the victims. "All injured shifted to hospitals. Ex-gratia compensation disbursement started -- Rs 10 Lakh in case of death, Rs 2 Lakh towards grievous and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries," he said on the microblogging website.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the incident and instructed officials to pay an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured from the state. He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured from other states, according to an official release.
Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad went to the site of the accident. "We are in the process of checking all the coaches. Once that is done, we will be able to ascertain the exact number of the deceased. We have sent 13 injured people to the government primary healthcare centre. There may be some people with simple injuries," Prasad told PTI.
He further said they are in the process of separating the entangled coaches and would get a clearer picture once that is done. "We have received 32 injured passengers from the accident site and some of them are in a serious condition. Besides, some injured passengers have been admitted to other hospitals also," Dr Anila Sunandini, Superintendent of the Government General Hospital, Vizianagaram, told PTI.
Sahu said the accident took place between Alamanda and Kantakapalli in the Vizianagaram-Kottavalasa railway section of the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway zone at about 7 pm. He said train number 08532 (Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger) and 08504 (Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger special) were involved in the accident, adding that the Rayagada passenger had overshot the signal. Two coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train from the rear and the locomotive of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train got derailed, the official added.