The Mysuru-Darbhanga Express was doing 75 km/h on Friday evening when it took the wrong track. It ran onto a loop line instead of the main line and hit a stationary goods train at Kavaraippettai Railway Station, near Chennai. At least 19 passengers were hurt.
The crash came around 8:30 PM on the Chennai-Gudur section, between Ponneri and Kavaraippettai. Twelve to thirteen coaches of the passenger train derailed, and a parcel van caught fire.
Fourteen people suffered major injuries and went to Stanley Hospital. Five had minor injuries. No deaths were reported. A senior railway official said every passenger had been evacuated, and the Railway Board said the loco pilot, staff and guard were safe.
Rescue and relief
Teams from Southern Railway and local authorities reached the site quickly. “Rescue and relief teams have reached the spot. Over 95% of passengers have already been evacuated,” said Dilip Kumar, the Railway Board’s Executive Director of Information and Publicity. Southern Railway posted a video on X of crews handing out food and water to stranded passengers. A special train left Dr. MGR Chennai Central early Saturday to bring them out.
Ambulances, medical relief vans and senior officials were sent to the area. A help desk opened at Chennai Central, and the railway issued helpline numbers.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said he was “closely monitoring” the situation and was shocked by the accident. “The government is engaged in swift relief and rescue activities,” he said. He ordered Minister S.M. Nasar and other officials to the site, and a team was assigned to arrange food and alternate travel for stranded passengers.
Trains cancelled and diverted
Traffic on the whole section stopped. Two trains were cancelled, the Jan Shatabdi Express services between Dr. MGR Chennai Central and Vijayawada (12077 and 12078). Eight others were sent by alternate routes, among them the SMVT Bengaluru-Kamakhya AC Express (12551), the Bengaluru-Danapur Sanghamitra Express (12295) and the Bengaluru-Guwahati Express (12509).
Outlook India compared the crash to the 2023 Balasore accident, in which the Coromandel Express also entered a loop line and hit a goods train. That disaster killed about 300 people. The cause of the Tamil Nadu collision has not been formally established.
Sources
- Train collision leaves 19 injured in Tamil Nadu
- Tamil Nadu Train Accident: 19 Injured In Mysuru-Darbhanga Express Collision | Outlook India
Sources
- Train collision leaves 19 injured in Tamil Nadu – Mehr News Agency
- Tamil Nadu Train Accident: 19 Injured In… | Outlook India
