Thirteen people were killed and 40 were injured in an Andhra Pradesh rail disaster Friday evening after a passenger train overshot the signal and collided with another from behind on the Howrah-Chennai line.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
- Due to a lack of signal, a special passenger train between Visakhapatnam and Palasa was traveling at a reduced pace on the main line between Alamanda and Kantakapalle when it was hit from behind by a Vizag-Rayagada passenger train.
- According to DRM Saurabh Prasad, the last three coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa train and the locomotive of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train, along with two coaches, derailed. On one side, a coach derailed and sat on a goods train wagon.
- The death toll has risen to 13 from nine last night, according to Vizianagaram Collector Nagalakshmi, who hopes to complete the rescue efforts by this morning. At least 40 people were hurt and are being treated at different hospitals.
- Last night’s photos from the scene showed the coaches derailed and passengers crowded around. The site was cleaned before midnight, with the exception of the derailed and affected carriages, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
- Chief Minister YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy has given ten lakh rupees in cash to the families of those who perished. Those who sustained catastrophic injuries will receive 2.5 lakh, while passengers who sustained slight injuries will receive 50,000.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has examined the situation and expressed his condolences for the loss of life. He promised a further 2 lakh for the families of those killed in the disaster and 50,000 for the injured.
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- The railway minister also called with Chief Minister Reddy, who expressed his deep sorrow at the event and directed that all necessary measures be taken to secure the injured’s treatment. Mr. Reddy has also requested periodic updates on the situation.