Andhra train accident: Mishap happened as driver, assistant were watching cricket on phone, says Railway minister

The fatal collision in Andhra Pradesh state in October took place as hosts India played England during the one-day World Cup.

In October 2023, the Rayagada Passenger train hit the Visakhapatnam Palasa train from behind on the Howrah-Chennai line in Kantakapalli in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. The accident caused injuries to more than 50 people and both crew members died on the spot.

Separately, the Indian Railways has terminated the services of four employees in connection with an incident in which an unattended freight train traveled 84 km, close to two hours, from Jammu and Punjab last month, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.

The terminated employees are- the station master of Kathua railway station Triveni Lal Gupta, engineers Sandeep Kumar (loco pilot) and Pradeep Kumar (assistant loco pilot), and pointsman Sh. Mohd Sami.

On February 25, the train began moving, with no one at the controls, after the engineers forgot to engage the brakes when they halted at Kathua station, ostensibly for tea, the English daily reported.

The train was stopped in Punjab after railway staff placed sandbags and other track impediments.