A horrific collision involving two trains carrying passengers in India claimed the lives of at least 13 people and left another 39 with serious injuries.
The catastrophic crash in the state of Andhra Pradesh is thought to have been caused by human error, according to investigators.
According to senior railway official Saurab Prasad, no fewer than three rail cars derailed when an oncoming train collided with a stalled train. Injured passengers were removed from the wreckage by numerous rescue teams and locals late into the night.
The railway ministry has said that a preliminary inquiry has shown that human error was the cause of the first train overshooting the signal.
Over 90 riders were on board the two cars hit by the second train, according to a senior government official.
The first reported death toll of 19 has now been revised upward to 13, with hundreds more wounded.
Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the chief government official of Andhra Pradesh, issued an emergency relief order and requested that ambulances be sent via Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam, the two closest districts to Vizianagaram.
The minister additionally issued directives to ensure that all relevant government agencies were working together to provide emergency aid.
A report shows this incident occurred just a few months after the deadliest train catastrophe in India’s state-run railroads. The worst train tragedy in 20 years had claimed at least 288 lives and left over 850 more wounded.
After a collision between two filled passenger trains, The Coromandel Express and the Howrah Superfast Express collided in the Balasore district of Odisha, India, and rescue workers raced to the scene.
Pradeep Jena, chief secretary of Odisha, said that around 200 ambulances were sent to the spot. One passenger train derailed, and another train on a nearby track collided with it. After that, a string of carriages followed, several of which overturned.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was distressed by the train disaster in Odisha and his sympathies were with the grieving loved ones at this time. He hoped the sick and wounded would get well quickly.
Reports show the railroad firms have reported ex-gratia payments of Rs 10 lakh (13.9 thousand USD) to the family members of those killed, Rs 2 lakh to the families of those seriously wounded, and Rs 50,000 to the families of those slightly injured.
