According to a statement, the latter may have crashed with the Palasa-bound train at approximately 7 o'clock at night due to human error, with the Rayagada-bound train most likely having crossed the signal. The Waltair division's divisional railway manager, Sourabh Prasad, stated that the incident occurred at around 7:10 p.m. "When the collision occurred, the Vishakhapatnam-Palasa train was waiting on the track between the kothavalasa block's Alamanda and Kantakpalli railway stations."
Four of the second train's bogies derailed into the nearby track as a result of the collision. Rescue efforts were impeded by the area's complete darkness after the collision snapped power lines. The DRM stated, "The local police, National Disaster Response Force teams, and revenue authorities rushed to the spot to take up rescue and relief operations as soon as we learned about the incident."
Multiple damaged coaches could be seen in what looked to be complete darkness in videos and images that the public had uploaded from the scene.
Since the lines were obstructed, the railroads declared that at least 13 trains had been canceled, rerouted, or terminated.
Each of the two trains comprised fourteen coaches, according to railway officials.
The tragedy on sunday is the worst train catastrophe to occur since june 2, when the Coromandel Express rear-ended a stopped goods train in the Balasore region of Odisha, resulting in the deaths of 296 people. A third train, the Yesvantpur Express, then collided with some of the coaches that had fallen into its path.
Three railway employees have been charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation for the worst disaster in decades that occurred in June. The Coromandel was supposedly on a collision path with the halted iron ore train due to a malfunctioning signal.
Chief minister of andhra pradesh, YS jagan Mohan reddy, conveyed his dismay at the tragedy and said he has directed district officials to take immediate action to provide assistance. reddy stated that ambulances from the nearby districts of Vishakhapatnam and Anakapalli will be called into duty.
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