Toll rises in Vizianagaram train accident, human error suspected

Dislocation in railway services continued for second day on Monday after two passenger trains collided suspected to be due to human error near Kottavalasa in Vizianagaram district, about 40 km from here. Several trains between Visakhapatnam and Raipur section were either cancelled or diverted at various places even as track clearance was taken up on a war-footing and cleared in the early hours.

The toll in the accident which occurred around 7 pm on Sunday rose to 14 with around 100 injured passengers undergoing treatment at Government General Hospital, Vizianagaram and other nearby hospitals. The dead included a loco pilot and assistant loco pilot.

A railway official said train 08504 Visakhapatnam- Rayagada rear side nine coaches were pulled back near Kantakapalle. Other than the derailed and affected coaches, all wagons and debris were cleared from the site, he said.

Divisional Railway Manager Sourabh Prasad said remarkably, the track was restored within a short span of 20 hours, allowing for the resumption of train services. The first train passed on the down line, goods train, at 2.23 pm and the first train on the up line was the 18463 Bhubaneswar-KSR Bengaluru Prashanti express, which was admitted at 2.36 pm.

A preliminary railway probe has held the driver and the assistant driver of Rayagada Passenger train responsible for the collision as it passed two defective auto signals violating norms. Both crew members were killed in the accident. Signed by seven experts, the preliminary report said they carefully examined the accident site.