A “human error” was the cause of a deadly train crash that killed at least 14 passengers and injured nearly 50 in India’s southeastern Andhra Pradesh state, officials have said.
A passenger train overshot a signal on Sunday between the towns of Alamanda and Kantakapalle in the Vizianagaram district, striking a stationary train. At least three cars were derailed in the accident, Saurabh Prasad, a senior railway officer, said.
Government officials told reporters on Monday that rescue efforts were over and the focus was now on track restoration.
In his reaction on social media following the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to assure people that officials were working to deal with the “unfortunate train derailment”.
PM @narendramodi spoke to Railway Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the wake of the unfortunate train derailment between Alamanda and Kantakapalle section.
Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected. The Prime Minister…
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 29, 2023
“Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Ministry of Railways announced cancellations and diversions in the wake of the accident on its X handle.
Hundreds of accidents happen every year on India’s railways, with most of them blamed on human error or outdated signalling equipment. More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India each day, travelling on 64,000km (40,000-mile) network.
At least 288 people were killed in a three-train collision in June this year in India’s worst rail accident in more than two decades.
