Vizianagaram: Two passenger trains collide at Kankatapalli; 13 dead, 50 injured

Visakhapatnam: As many as 13 people were killed and over 50 injured after two trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai line in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday evening.

The incident occurred at around 7 pm on Sunday when the Palasa train hit the Rayagada train from behind at Kankatapalli, causing three coaches to derail. According to the information provided by Vizianagaram Collector S Nagalakshmi, at least 32 people were injured.

A senior railway official from East Coast Railway said the injured were being shifted to hospitals in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.

In a post on X, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government has announced ex-gratia relief 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.

All injured shifted to hospitals.Ex-gratia compensation disbursement started - ₹10 Lakh in case of death, ₹2.5 Lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) October 29, 2023

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy also 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 rushed to the accident site.

"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's primary healthcare center. There may be some people with simple injuries," Prasad told.

"We have received 32 injured passengers from the accident site and some of them are in serious condition. Besides, some injured passengers have been admitted to other hospitals also," Dr Anila Sunandini, Superintendent of the Government General Hospital, Vizianagaram, said.

Biswajit Sahu, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the ECR, 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.

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.

Rescue operations are underway with the DRM, Waltair, and his team on the spot. Accident relief trains and other rescue equipment have been engaged, the official said.

PMO said on X that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in touch with the railway minister and all assistance is being provided to those affected.

Vaishnaw said all passengers have been shifted from the accident spot.

"Rescue operations are underway. All passengers shifted. @narendramodi Ji reviewed the situation. Spoke to the CM of Andhra Pradesh. State govt and railway teams are working in close coordination," he said on X.

Rescue operations are underway. All passengers shifted. PM @narendramodi Ji reviewed the situation. Spoke to the CM of Andhra Pradesh, state govt and railway teams are working in close coordination.

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) October 29, 2023

Reddy instructed officials to undertake rescue operations. He asked them to arrange a sufficient number of ambulances to ferry the injured.

Andhra Pradesh minister Botcha Satyanarayana also reached the spot and is overseeing the rescue operations.

The rescue efforts are being hampered by the darkness. Meanwhile, the ECR has set up helplines.

Local administration and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were informed, seeking assistance and ambulances, and accident relief trains have reached the site, the officials said.

Trains Cancelled:

1. The train No. 22819 Bhubaneswar- Visakhapatnam Intercity express leaving Bhubaneswar on October 30.

2. The train No. 22820 Visakhapatnam- Bhubaneswar Intercity express leaving Visakhapatnam on October 30 is cancelled.

3. The train No. 07470 Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger leaving Visakhapatnam on October 30 will be cancelled.

4. The train No. 07471 Palasa-Visakhapatnam passenger leaving Palasa on October 30 will be cancelled.

5. The train No. 08583 Visakhapatnam-Tirupati leaving Visakhapatnam on October 30 will be cancelled.

6. The train No. 08584 Tirupati-Visakhapatnam express leaving Tirupati on October 30 will be cancelled.

7. The train No. 18525 Brahmapur- Visakhapatnam express leaving Brahmapur on October 30 will be cancelled.

8. The train No. 18526 Visakhapatnam-Brahmapur express leaving Visakhapatnam on October 30 will be cancelled.

Kharge takes jibe at Centre:

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at the Modi government on Monday over the train derailment in Andhra Pradesh, saying the enthusiasm shown in flagging off trains with fanfare should also be shown in action towards railway safety and the well-being of passengers.

In a post on X, Kharge said, "Extremely saddened to learn about the train derailment tragedy in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh, where precious lives have been lost and several people have suffered injuries." "Our deepest condolences to the families of the bereaved. We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said and requested Congress workers to provide every possible help. It seems that all the claims of safety by the Union government, post the Balasore train tragedy have evaporated in thin air, he said.

"The same enthusiasm of flagging trains with fanfare and propaganda should also be shown in action towards railway safety and the well-being of crores of daily passengers," Kharge said.