A preliminary investigation into the rear-end collision involving two trains that left about 13
passengers dead and 38 others injured near Kantakapalli railway station in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday has revealed that the crew passed a defective signal in red leading to the accident.
According to railway sources, an inquiry at the scene of the accident conducted by multi-departmental officials concluded that the accident took place after the crew of Train No 08504 Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger passed the defective automatic signal in danger. The inquiry team held the Loco Pilot S.M.S. Rao and Assistant Loco Pilot Chiranjeevi, both among the deceased, responsible for the incident which took place in Waltair Division of East Coast Railway.