At least 19 people were injured after a passenger train rammed into a stationary goods train in Tamil Nadu on Friday night, officials said. Southern railway officials added that there were no casualties and none of the injuries reported after the accident were life-threatening.
The incident took place at Kavarapettai on Friday night and at least 12 coaches of the Bagmati Express train — travelling from Mysuru in Karnataka to Darbhanga in Bihar have derailed. Kavarapettai is just 40 kilometres from Chennai.
Railway officials said the long distance express train appeared to have entered a loop line, where the freight service was parked, an error that will now be investigated. The crash occurred around 8.30pm, shortly after the train crossed Ponneri station.
Despite receiving a green signal to proceed through the mainline, the train experienced a heavy jerk and entered onto the loop line at 75 km/h and rear-ended a stationary goods train.
"While entering the Kavarapettai station, the train crew experienced a heavy jerk and instead of going into the main line as per the signal given, the train running at a speed of 75 kmph entered into a loop line. It hit a goods train stationed on the loop line from behind," a Southern Railways official said.
{{/usCountry}}"While entering the Kavarapettai station, the train crew experienced a heavy jerk and instead of going into the main line as per the signal given, the train running at a speed of 75 kmph entered into a loop line. It hit a goods train stationed on the loop line from behind," a Southern Railways official said.
{{/usCountry}}All passengers have been evacuated after a rescue and relief operation, officials said.
"There were around 1,360 passengers on board. We reached the spot immediately after receiving information. Chief Minister MK Stalin instructed us to ensure that the rescue operation proceeds without delay. Following his orders, we made sure all passengers were safely evacuated," T Prabhushankar, District Collector of Tiruvallur, told ANI.
"There were no casualties. 19 people were injured, with four of them had severe injuries. They were taken to hospital and all are currently stable," he added.
Stalin visits train accident site
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin met with passengers at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai after the accident.
The incident has affected movement of trains on the entire section, forcing railways to divert or operate trains via alternate routes. Over half a dozen trains were diverted on Friday night.
The Railways also issued helpline numbers following the accident.
The accident bears a similarity to the 2023 Balasore crash, when the Coromandel Express similarly entered a loop line, struck a goods train and derailed, before another train, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast, crashed into it. With 296 people dead, it was one of the deadliest train accidents in the country.
(With inputs from Divya Chandrababu, Neha LM Tripathi)