Two passenger trains were involved in a crash, killing 13 people and injuring over 50 more, in India.
Officials in the Andhra Pradesh state say a passenger train crashed into another as hundreds of emergency workers scrambled to the scene. Officials say a preliminary investigation found “human error” led to the smash.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and said he was in talks with the nation’s railways minister, reports the BBC. The crash took place in the Vizianagaram district on Sunday evening.
Officials say three carriages of one of the passenger trains derailed at around 7pm (3pm GMT) after it was struck by another train. The incident occured between Visakhapatnam and Palasa.
READ MORE: Rockets from Syria hit Israel as ‘explosions heard’ at US base
It is understood one of the trains had stopped on the tracks due to a “break in an overhead cable”. A second incoming train however rammed into it from behind.
Hundreds of ambulances, nurses, doctors and rescuers were deployed to the scene. They were rescuing passengers and pulling bodies from the wreckage.
Biswajit Sahi, Chief Public Relations Officer of East Coast Railway, said that a “human error” had led to the collision, caused by “overshooting of signal” by the second train. He said 33 trains were cancelled and 22 diverted after the accident.
Railways officials expect the area to be cleared by Monday evening. Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s office said he would visit the site of accident.
Don’t miss… Moment retreating Russian tank convoy in Ukraine is rocked by explosions[LATEST]
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
The minister says there will be financial compensation for the victims. India’s train network is one of the largest in the world, with millions of people using it each day.
However, a lot of the infrastructure is said to need improvements. Sunday’s accident comes just months after another crash killed 292 people and injured thousands more in Odisha, eastern India.
Three railway employees were arrested in connection with the incident. It was the worst crash on India’s rails in 20 years.
Source: Read Full Article
Mystery disease outbreak on train with hundreds of kids ill and girl dead
Inside the naval force protecting world trade from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea
Russian soldier cheats death as bullet is stopped by phone in his pocket
Victory for Brexit Britain as expats to be granted extended visas in France
Woman who pretended to be a man and tricked female into sex jailed for 10 years