Tamil Nadu train collision: Passenger train collides with a stationary freight train, 12 coaches derailed, several passengers injured
Tamil Nadu train collision: In Tamil Nadu, a passenger train and a halted freight train collided tragically late on Friday night, causing at least 12 coaches to derail and injuring many people. Around 8:30 PM, there was an accident at the Kavaraippettai railway station in the Tiruvallur district, which is close to Chennai.
The train in question, the 12578 Mysuru – Darbhanga Bagmati Express, was apparently moving at 75 km/h when it made an error and went onto a loop line rather than the main line that was meant to be its route. Following the incident, a package van caught fire, according to railway authorities.
Dr. T Prabhushankar, the district collector for Tiruvallur, said that out of the about 1,360 passengers, 19 had been reported injured, including four who were seriously hurt. After swift action, emergency personnel took the wounded to a nearby hospital. Thankfully, no deaths have been recorded as of yet.
By midnight, plans were in motion to deploy MTC buses to take trapped passengers to the Dr. MGR Chennai Central train station. Additionally, a special train with food and drink on board was sent out early on Saturday morning to transport the impacted passengers to their destinations.
Southern Railway’s general manager, R.N. Singh, spoke to the media about the sad incident and said that the passenger train had accidentally veered into the loop despite having the intended signal for the main line, and that the goods train, which had been assigned priority, was stationed on the loop line. Singh said, “The engine derailed as a result of the train colliding with the goods train from behind.”
Just before to the train entering the loop line, officials claimed that the pilot and loco pilot were uninjured despite the train experiencing a strong shake. Following the event, a number of trains were canceled, postponed, or diverted; on October 12, 18 planned trains were affected.
Railway officials have launched a high-level investigation following the disaster. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin acknowledged that rescue efforts were still on while expressing his dismay at the occurrence.
He said, “The government is working rapidly on rescue and relief efforts,” making sure that the wounded received emergency medical care and that more funds were set aside for other passengers’ meals and travel plans. Cleaning up the accident scene involves the fire department as well.