Railway safety panel to continue probe into train accident near Kankatapalli till November 6

Railway safety panel to continue probe into train accident near Kankatapalli till November 6. The 10-member committee of the Commission of Railway Safety will submit the reports and evidences being gathered to the Railway Board directly, says Waltair Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad.

The ongoing investigation into the collision of two passenger trains near Kantakapalli, which had claimed 14 lives on October 29, by the 10-member committee of the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), will continue till November 6.

The CRS committee, led by safety officer Pranjeev Saxena, from the South Central Circle (Secunderabad), will submit the reports and evidences being gathered to the Railway Board directly.

The team had visited the accident spot twice during its stay here, including on November 3. It was said to have reverified the information it had collected from more than 50 sources, including officers at the Waltair Railway Division (DRM) and eyewitnesses (passengers).

The CRS committee visited the accident site, inspected the condition of the damaged coaches, signal visibility, signal relay rooms, staff lobby, data logger centre and signal fault control room. The committee also visited the Government General Hospital in Vizianagaram to interact with the injured persons. It took a whole day to check the signalling system in particular.

The team also collected photographs and videos of the accident site, newspaper clippings, and eyewitnesses and passengers’ bytes broadcast on various TV channels. The team members also spoke to the doctors of the medical team that had provided first-aid and treatment to the victims. This apart, a public hearing was also conducted on November 1 and 2 to obtain feedback from the eyewitnesses.

Speaking to The Hindu, Waltair Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad said, “The CRS team will continue its probe till November 6. The committee has inspected the accident spot twice. It will submit its report directly to the Railway Board.”

The accident had taken place when the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada Express collided with the tail end of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train, killing 14 and injuring 32 passengers.