Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The tragic train accident in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district, where the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express rammed into a stationary goods train, was caused by a “mismatch between signal and route,” according to Southern Railways General Manager RN Singh.
The passenger train, which was travelling at 75 km per hour, was supposed to switch to the main line. However, the train was mistakenly diverted to a closed loop section where the goods train was parked. “Something wrong happened,” Singh told NDTV, explaining that the signal had been set for the main line, but the train was switched to the wrong track.
As a result of the accident, 12 coaches were derailed, leaving 19 passengers injured. A power car caught fire, though, fortunately, no deaths have been reported. The accident occurred around 40 km from Chennai, with over 1,300 passengers on board.
A high-level inquiry has been ordered, with Railway Safety Commissioner set to determine the exact cause. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed shock over the incident and urged rescue operations to be accelerated.