Train Accident in Tamil Nadu: In late hours on Friday, October 11, an Express train collided with a goods train in Tamil Nadu, injuring several passengers and causing one of the coaches to catch fire. The goods train was reported to be stationary at the time of the accident. The train accident caused no reported casualties, with rescue teams swiftly evacuating more than 95 per cent of passengers from the affected coaches. 

What Caused the Train Accident? 

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The train mishap took place when the Express train entered a loopline instead of the main line at Kavarapettai station, hitting the stationary freight train at a speed of about 75 kilometres per hour. The fire, reported in one of the coaches, was extinguished immediately, avoiding any casualty. Rescue teams evacuated over 95 per cent of passengers from the impacted coaches.

Tamil Nadu Railway Accident | No Loss of Life Thanks to Swift Action by Authorities 

Authorities were reportedly monitoring the situation. Expressing shock at the mishap, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said the rescue and relief work was being monitored. The government is engaged in swift relief and rescue activities and the injured were being moved to hospitals, the CM said. 

According to the Railway Board, no casualty was reported so far in the train collision, which took place on the Ponneri-Kavarapettai strength of the Chennai Rail Division.

"We received information of collision of the Bagmati Express with a freight train at the Kavarapettai station in the Chennai Division. Rescue and relief team reached the accident site immediately," said Railway Board Executive Director-Information and Publicity Dilip Kumar in a video message released soon after the incident. 

The Mysuru-Dibrugarh Express train (Train No. 12578) passed Ponneri station at 8:27 pm on October 11, and despite receiving a green signal, the train unexpectedly took a wrong turn into a side track while entering Kavarapettai station, according to the Southern Railway, one of the zones served by the Indian Railways.

Tamil Nadu Train Mishap News | Crew Safe, fire doused, coaches derailed...

While the crew was reported to be safe, a fire caught by the parcel van was put out by fire tenders. The Railways said train movement in the impacted stretch was closed.

About 12-13 coaches were derailed in the accident. 

According to authorities, a separate team was working on facilitating the onward journey and caring for the impacted passengers. 

At the time of publishing this report, the impacted passengers were being transferred via EMU to the Chennai Central station, where they will be provided with refreshments and onboarded on a special train, according to authorities. 

Rescue teams were reportedly removing damaged coaches from the tracks, with emergency responders, including doctors and ambulances, having been deployed promptly to the site.

Tamil Nadu Train Accident | Chennai-New Delhi Express & Other Diversions

A number of trains were reportedly diverted due to the Tamil Nadu train tragedy. Here's the list: 

  • 12621 Chennai-New Delhi Express 
  • 13352 Allepey-Dhanbad Express 
  • 18190 Ernakulam-Tata Express 
  • 12664 Tiruchirapalli-Howrah Express 
  • 07696 Ramagundam-Secunderabad Special
  • 06063 Coimbatore-Dhanbad Express Special 
  • 13351 Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express 
  • 02122 Jabalpur-Madurai Express 

Meanwhile, three trains reported to be halted in the Chennai-Gudur region were set to be operated on alternative routes:

  • Tiruchirapalli-Howrah 
  • Ernakulam-Tata Express
  • Kakinada Dhanbad Special Express