A devastating train collision occurred in Andhra Pradesh‘s Vizianagaram district, resulting in at least 13 fatalities and over 50 injuries. The incident took place when two passenger trains, the 08532 Visakhapatnam-Palasa and the 08504 Visakhapatnam-Rayagada, collided. The latter train rammed into the Palasa-bound train, raising concerns of human error, as the Rayagada-bound train may have jumped a signal.
The tragic collision happened at around 7:10 pm, when the Visakhapatnam-Palasa train was waiting on the track between Alamanda and Kantakpalli railway stations of the Kothavalasa block.
Train Collision & Rescue operations
The impact of the crash caused four carriages of the second train to derail and knocked out electric lines, plunging the area into darkness. This darkness hampered rescue operations, but local police, the National Disaster Response Force, and revenue authorities swiftly arrived at the scene to initiate rescue and relief efforts.
Videos and images shared by the public at the site depicted multiple mangled coaches amid the pitch-black conditions. Due to the blockage of the tracks, the railways canceled, diverted, or terminated at least 13 trains.
This tragic incident is one of the most serious train accidents since a collision on June 2, which led to 296 fatalities. In that accident, the Coromandel Express rear-ended a stationary freight train in Odisha’s Balasore district, and a third train, the Yesvantpur Express, collided with some of the derailed coaches. A signalling malfunction had allegedly led to the catastrophic accident.
This accident underscores the importance of railway safety and the need for thorough investigations into the causes of train collisions to prevent future tragedies.
The frequency of train accidents in India, each with its own set of tragic consequences, highlights the need for robust safety measures and oversight within the country’s railway system. The Andhra Pradesh government and railway authorities must work diligently to provide support to the victims and their families while conducting a thorough investigation to understand the exact causes of this collision. The tragic incident serves as a somber reminder of the importance of prioritizing railway safety to avoid such heartbreaking events in the future.
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