ANDHRA PRADESH TRAIN ACCIDENT: What caused it? || ENGLISH || GOA365

Two trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai line in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday evening, leaving 14 dead and many injured. According to first reports, the accident occurred after one of the trains jumped a signal and rear-ended a slow-running train on the same line. This is the second such accident this year alone. Here’s the full story

The Palasa passenger was going on the middle line and is said to have slow down and in the meantime, the Rayagada passenger overshot the signal and hit the Palasa passenger from behind. Three coaches of the Palasa passenger and the locomotive and two coaches of the Rayagada passenger were badly damaged and capsized and thrown beside the track.

Relief and rescue operations are underway at the accident spot. Senior railway officials are trying to restore the track which is needed for the restoration of trains movement in important Chennai-Kolkata route. Movement of trains on the route has been halted since the accident. Eighteen trains have been cancelled so far and 22 diverted

Expressing shock over the incident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced 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.