India train crash kills at least 14, renews safety concerns

Fourteen people are confirmed dead and around 50 others injured in yet another rail accident in India, bringing the travel safety issue back to the fore in a nation that boasts one of the largest railway networks in the world.

The latest accident occurred at around 7 pm local time on Oct 29 in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, with two passenger trains colliding in Vizianagaram district on the Howrah-Chennai line, according to the East Coast Railway. The accident area falls under the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway.

A Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train stopped because of a break in an overhead cable and the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Express service, another passenger train, rammed into it from the rear.

A senior official of the East Coast Railway said the accident happened near Kankatapalli village, causing three coaches to derail.

"Around 14 people have died so far (as per) the latest reports … and fifty others have been injured," said Biswajit Sahu, chief public relations officer of East Coast Railway.

"We are working in a war-footing situation in close coordination with the local government, Indian railway board and local police. The situation will improve by this evening," Sahu told China Daily from the accident spot.

The official ruled out the possibility of any signaling fault. "The red signal might not have been noticed by the loco pilot that rammed into the rear of another passenger train. An inquiry has been initiated to find out the actual cause of the accident," Sahu said.

The incident marked the second big rail accident in October and the third this year.

On Oct 11, five people died and 30 were injured when the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express derailed in Bihar's Buxar district. Earlier, on June 2, a triple-train collision killed nearly 300 people and injured 1,200 in Odisha's Balasore district.

Lapses in signaling-circuit-alteration caused the Balasore accident, India's Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said around two months after the June accident.

Following the latest accident, Vaishnaw said in a post on social media platform X, that "rescue operations are underway … Local government and railway teams are working in close coordination".

As the affected coaches were "unreserved", the details of the deceased passengers remain unknown. Officials fear the toll may increase as some passengers may still be trapped inside the mangled coaches.

Locals from Kantakapalli village quickly initiated relief and rescue operations. They pulled out the trapped passengers and shifted the injured to hospitals, according to railway officials.

Pitch-dark conditions hampered the rescue efforts. Authorities deployed emergency lights to assist police, railway personnel and other officials in the rescue effort. The National Disaster Response Force and disaster response team from the local government were mobilized and ambulances were dispatched from Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam to attend to the injured. The authorities formed special medical teams to treat the injured.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the bereaved families and extended his prayers for the swift recovery of the injured.

Several trains were cancelled following the tragedy. And the accident has highlighted the need for more safety and preventive measures to ensure the safety of Indian rail passengers.

In recent years, the Indian government has invested nearly $30 billion in railways by manufacturing semi-high-speed trains, modern coaches and locomotives, and redeveloping the stations. However, observers have called for more focus on operational safety.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.