'Driver was distracted by cricket match': India's railway minister on 2023 Andhra train collision
Andhra train collision
Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw disclosed on Saturday (Mar 2) that the cause behind the collision of two passenger trains in Andhra Pradesh in October last year was due to the driver and assistant driver being engrossed in watching a cricket match on their phone.
In the southern region of India's Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh state, a tragic collision between two passenger trains occurred on October 29, 2023.
The collision resulted in the loss of at least 14 lives, with about 50 individuals sustaining injuries. The impact caused three carriages of a stationary passenger train to derail.
The incident had occurred on the Howrah-Chennai line in Vizianagaram district's Kantakapalli. The Rayagada Passenger train collided with the Visakhapatnam Palasa train from behind at 7 pm.
Vaishnaw, while discussing new safety initiatives by Indian Railways, referenced the Andhra train accident.
He told PTI news agency, "The recent case in Andhra Pradesh happened because both the loco pilot and co-pilot were distracted by the cricket match which was going on. Now we are installing systems which can detect any such distraction and make sure that the pilots and the assistant pilots are fully focussed on running the train."
Emphasising on the commitment for safety Vaishnaw affirmed, "We will continue to put our focus on safety. We try to find out the root cause of every incident and we come up with a solution so that it is not repeated."
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The report from the Commissioners of Railway Safety (CRS) regarding the probe is yet to be disclosed, however, a preliminary investigation by the railway authorities soon after the tragic incident attributed responsibility to the driver and assistant driver of the Rayagada Passenger train.
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They were found to have violated norms by passing two defective auto signals, resulting inthe tragic collision and their demise.
The rescue operation at the site involved the National Disaster Response Force team (NDRF), police personnel, and railway officials. Heavy-duty cranes were used to remove the wrecked coaches.
In the aftermath, dozens of trains were cancelled, and many others were diverted. However, the railway track was restored within nearly 20 hours, enabling the resumption of train services.
The Prime Minister's Office also announced compensation for the families of each deceased victim and injured individuals from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
(With inputs from agencies)