12 carriages of Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Superfast Express derailed near Chennai on Friday night, injuring a minimum of 19 passengers due to a collision with a stationary goods train. All passengers who were injured have been brought to the local hospitals for medical care. Nevertheless, there were no reports of any injuries. Some trains like Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express and Jabalpur-Madurai Superfast Special Train have been rerouted.
The event occurred in Kavarapettai, within Chennai Railway Division, as train number 12578 Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Superfast Express passed Ponneri station at approximately 8:27 pm and received clearance to proceed through Kavaraipettai via the mainline. Upon arrival at Kavaraipettai station, the train crew encountered a strong jolt, causing the train to veer onto the loop line and collide with a stationary goods train instead of continuing on the main line.
Following the crash, a delivery van beside the locomotive ignited, yet was promptly extinguished. High-ranking state officials and the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) from Chennai, Southern Railway, have quickly arrived at the site. In the meantime, other plans have been put in place to either transport or provide lodging for the passengers. Railway authorities, emergency teams, and medical staff are moving quickly to guarantee the passengers’ safety and health. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of Railways, oversaw the situation at the train crash site early on Saturday, October 12. He had a conversation with the authorities regarding the repair of railway tracks and checked on the health status of the injured individuals.
A unique train transporting stranded passengers from the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express, which crashed into a stationary goods train at Kavaraippettai Railway Station, left Dr MGR Chennai Central railway station early Saturday morning to resume its trip. MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, shared his sadness about the unfortunate event and instructed State Minister SM Nasar to visit the accident site and assess the situation.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister, called on the Centre to implement necessary measures to avoid train accidents in the future. The Union Government needs to put an end to the string of train accidents. He mentioned that there have been no fatalities and adequate preparations have been made for those returning to the town. Former Bihar deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also voiced his worries about the incident, urging the administration and railways to quickly carry out rescue and relief efforts.