Visakhapatnam
A tragic train accident that occurred in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district on Sunday has claimed the lives of 13 individuals. Authorities have successfully identified 11 of the victims, while the identity of two remains to be confirmed. The deceased include SMS Rao, who was the loco pilot of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train, Gangman Chinatala Krishnam Naidu from Vizianagaram, and M. Srinivas, a passenger guard on the Visakhapatnam Palasa train. The other victims have been identified as Kanchubaraki Ravi, Karanam Appalanaidu, Challa Sathish, Pilla Nagaraju, Reddi Seetham Naidu, Majji Ramu, all hailing from Vizianagaram district, and Gidijala Lakshmi and Tenkala Sugunamma, both from Srikakulam. The bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their families after the necessary autopsies. Vizianagaram District Collector Nagalakshmi reported that 38 injured individuals were receiving treatment at the Vizianagaram hospital, with one injured person each being transferred to KGH, NRI, and Medicover hospitals in Visakhapatnam. In response to the tragedy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 10 lakh for the next of kin of passengers from the state who lost their lives in the accident. He also pledged Rs. 2 lakh each to those injured from the state. For the families of the deceased from other states, the Chief Minister announced compensation of Rs. 2 lakh each, while the injured will receive assistance of Rs. 50,000 each. The accident occurred when the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train was struck by the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train near Kantakapalli junction in Kothavalasa block. Railway officials explained that the incident transpired around 7 p.m. when the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train failed to stop at the signal and collided with the stationary Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train. The derailed coaches of both trains subsequently collided with a goods train traveling on an adjacent track.
