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A serious train collision occurred in Tamil Nadu, India, on Friday evening, resulting in injuries to seven passengers and significant disruption to train services. The Mysuru-Darbhanga Express passenger train collided with a stationary goods train at Kavarapettai, causing the derailment of 12 bogies of the passenger train. The incident unfolded at around 8.30 pm when the express train, carrying over 1,300 passengers, entered a loop line instead of the main line, leading to the collision.
Passengers described the scene as chaotic, with a loud noise followed by the train overturning. Some coaches caught fire while others derailed. Passengers quickly evacuated to a nearby local station. While no fatalities were reported, seven individuals sustained injuries, with three of them seriously injured and admitted to Stanley Medical College Hospital. The remaining four injured passengers were treated at Government Hospital, Ponneri.
Southern Railway officials initiated a high-level inquiry into the incident to determine the cause of the collision. The Commissioner of Railway Safety, A M Chowdhary, conducted a statutory inspection of the accident site, assisted by senior Southern Railway officials. The railway general manager, RN Singh, explained that the train was supposed to pass through Kavaraipettai station without stopping but mistakenly took the loop line instead of the main line. While the train driver followed signals correctly, the error at the switch resulted in the collision.
The incident has caused significant disruption to train schedules, with numerous trains being rescheduled or diverted. Railway officials are diligently working on track restoration efforts, with senior officials overseeing the process. Passengers were provided with medical screenings before boarding a special train arranged to transport them to their destination. Injured passengers received ex-gratia payments according to railway norms.
The ongoing investigation aims to determine the root cause of the collision and implement necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. The focus will likely be on identifying potential signal malfunctions, communication errors, or human error that might have contributed to the accident. The outcome of the investigation will have significant implications for railway safety protocols and procedures, with the aim of enhancing passenger safety and preventing future train collisions.
Source: Passenger describes 'complete chaos' after massive train collision near Chennai