India: Train crash kills 13 people in Andhra Pradesh as human error blamed

An express train rammed into a stationary train, derailing two carriages
INDIA-ACCIDENT-RAILWAYS
Rescuers at the site of the train crash in Vizianagaram district
AFP via Getty Images
Lydia Chantler-Hicks30 October 2023

Thirteen people have been killed in a crash between two passenger trains in southern India which investigators believe was caused by human error.

Officials said a further 25 people had been injured in Sunday's crash, which happened in Andhra Pradesh state's Vizianagaram district.

A Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train had stopped on the railway tracks because of a break in an overhead cable.

A Visakhapatnam-Palasa Express service then rammed into it from the rear, derailing two carriages of the stationary train.

More than 90 people are said to have been in the two coaches. The death toll had risen to 13 on Monday morning.

The railway ministry said a preliminary investigation found "human error" that led to "overshooting of signal" by the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada train.

Rescuers at the scene on Sunday
AP

Photos showed rescue teams at the site of the wreckage.

An Andhra Pradesh fire services officer said early on Monday that no passengers were left at the site.

Train crashes are common in India and are often blamed mostly on human error or outdated signalling equipment.

In June, more than 280 people were killed in one of the country's deadliest rail crashes in decades after two passenger trains rammed into each other in eastern India. A further 850 people were taken to hospital following the incident.

More than 12 million people use 14,000 trains across India every day, travelling on 40,000 miles of track.

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