Andhra Pradesh: 11 dead as 5 coaches along Howrah-Chennai line get derailed

Tragedy struck at Andhra Pradesh as five coaches, two belonging to the Vishakapatnam- Rayagada Passenger train and three belonging to the Palasa Passenger got derailed along the Howrah- Chennai line in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh.  As per estimates, at 7 pm on 29th October, the Palasa passenger train hit the Rayagada passenger train from behind at Kantakapalli. Biswajit Sahu, CPRO, East Coast Railway, said “So far, 11 people have died while 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.”

A human error is speculated to have caused the accident. “In the middle line we had two passenger trains which were running. The rear train came and overshot the signal as a result of which we had around five coaches, three of the front train and two of the rear train which had derailed. There are people who are trapped in these coaches. Our first priority is to take care of passengers who are trapped inside. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and our teams, all three are working right now. The rescue efforts are on,” Waltair Division Railway manager Saurabh Prasad stated.