(New Delhi) A collision between two trains left at least 13 dead and around fifty injured on Sunday evening in southeast India, according to a new report from local authorities.
The derailment occurred between the towns of Alamanda and Kantakapalle in the state of Andhra Pradesh after a train carrying passengers failed to obey a signal.
“Thirteen passengers died and 50 others were injured. Rescue operations are underway,” Nagalakshmi S., a local government official, told reporters.
According to the first conclusions of a preliminary investigation, a “human error” caused the collision, the Indian Ministry of Rail Transport said in a statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicated on
India, which has one of the largest railway networks in the world, has seen a large number of deadly train accidents in its history. However, security has improved in recent years thanks to investments and technological improvements.
The deadliest accident in the country’s history remains that of June 6, 1981 when, in the state of Bihar (east), seven wagons from a train crossing a bridge fell into the Bagmati River, causing between 800 and 1000 deaths.
In June, a collision between three trains near Balasore, in the state of Odisha (east), left nearly 300 dead and more than a thousand injured, due to a problem in the switching system .
In August, at least nine people died in southern India in a fire in a train station wagon, caused by a traveler who was heating water to make tea.