Andhra Pradesh train accident: YS Jagan meets injured passengers in Vizianagaram

VIZIANAGARAM: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday met injured passengers of ill-fated Visakhapatnam-Rayagada and Visakhapatnam-Palasa passengers who were undergoing treatment at Government General Hospital (GGH) in Vizianagaram.

As many as 28 injured passengers were being treated in the hospital. The Chief Minister interacted with patients and assured them of all possible help. During his visit, YS Jagan also discussed treatment with doctors and senior officials present at the hospital.

Initially, the Chief Minister was supposed to visit the accident spot near Kantakapalli in Vizianagaram district. With track restoration works progressing on a war footing near the spot, railway officials requested Jagan to cancel his visit. He then directly proceeded to the GGH in Vizianagaram after arriving at Visakhapatnam.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also examined a photo exhibition on train accidents arranged at the hospital premises. He enquired the officials about the incident and asked them to provide exgratia to the injured and the bereaved families at the earliest.

YS Jagan was accompanied by Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana during his visit to the hospital. Later, the Chief Minister also conducted an aerial survey and inspected the accident spot near Kankatapalli in Vizianagaram district and left to Visakhapatnam.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), YS Jagan said, "The devastating train accident that occurred in Vizianagaram district last night has caused me great pain. A running train collided with another stationed train, both of which were running in the same direction."

This horrifying accident gives rise to certain obvious questions:

1. Why did the breaking system and the alert system not function?

2. Why did the signalling fail?

3. How did the communications system fail?

YS Jagan also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to constitute a high level audit committee to thoroughly examine all these aspects, not just on this line but on all lines across the country, to ensure such devastating accidents do not recur in the future.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones. Our government will continue to ensure that the best possible care is taken of those injured in this accident," the Chief Minister said.