Passenger train collision kills 13 in Andhra Pradesh; human error suspected, PM Modi announces compensation
Monday, 30 October 2023 (09:53 IST)
At least thirteen people were killed after two passenger trains collided in southern India on Sunday, officials said.
At least 50 people were injured in the crash, officials said. The crash happened in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district.
An incoming train slammed into a stationary train, derailing at least three rail cars, senior railway officer Saurab Prasad told Associated Press news agency.
The Indian Railway Ministry said in a statement that two coaches were derailed.
A preliminary investigation found that "human error" caused by "overshooting of signal" had led to the collision, the ministry said.
Modi announces financial compensation
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that he had spoken with the federal railway minister. He sent "condolences to the bereaved families and prays that the injured recover soon."
Modi announced financial compensation for families of those who died in the accident to the tune of 200,000 rupees ($2,260, €2,397).
Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asked authorities to send as many ambulances as possible to the crash site and other relief measures.
Train crashes are common in India and are often blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.
In June, an error in the electronic signaling system led a train to wrongly change tracks and crash into a freight train in the eastern Odisha state.
The accident killed more than 280 people and was one of the country's deadliest crashes in decades.
More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.
