• By Kamal Kumar
  • Sat, 12 Oct 2024 08:01 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Train Accident Chennai: As many as 19 passengers sustained injuries, and no casualties were reported after the Mysuru-Darbhanga Express collided with a goods train at Kavaraippettai Railway Station near Tamil Nadu's Chennai on Friday evening. The restoration work was underway as of Saturday morning, with the Southern Railways and State relief agencies working to get the derailed coaches removed from the track.

While a special train was arranged for the stranded passengers of the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express, they were also provided food packages during their wait by the authorities, reported ANI.

Meanwhile, over half a dozen trains were diverted on Friday night on the route. These included the Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express, Jabalpur-Madurai Superfast Special, MGR Chennai Central-Tamil Nadu Express, Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express, Tiruchirappalli-Howrah Superfast Express, Ramanathapuram Express Special, and Coimbatore-Dhanbad Express Special.

ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu: 12 Coaches Of Mysore-Darbhanga Express Derail After Collision With Goods Train, CM Stalin Monitors Relief Work

The Southern Railway's Chennai division has issued helpline numbers for assistance. The helpline numbers include 044-25354151, 044-25330952, 044-25330953 and 044-25354995. The state government has also set up a helpline booth at the station.

Drone footage of the accident showed the scale of the accident, with the coaches lying around scattered. The early morning visuals captured the scale of the mishap and showed orange-clad rescue and restoration workers tirelessly toiling to get the derailed and damaged train out of the tracks.

Meanwhile, the cause behind the train accident also surfaced. According to senior railway officials, the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express train that rammed into a stationary goods train on Friday night at Kavaraippettai Railway Station was en route from Mysuru to Darbhanga when it mistakenly entered the loop line where the goods train was stationed, resulting in the collision.

"This train was going towards Gudur, and further to Andhra Pradesh, and via Odisha, it would have gone to Darbhanga after starting from Mysuru. As it passed through this station (Kavaraippettai), a goods train was stabled on the loop line, which was given precedence," Southern Railway General Manager RN Singh told reporters.

"This train was supposed to pass through the main line without stopping, as there is no scheduled stop at this station. Signals were also provided for the main line. However, it was unusual that despite having signals for the main line, the train entered the loop line where the goods train was standing," he said as quoted by ANI.