Loco pilot and co-pilot were ‘watching cricket match on phone:’ Ashwini Vaishnaw on AP Train Accident
Bhubaneswar: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has made a startling revelation while disclosing the reason behind the accident took place in Andhra Pradesh on October 29, 2023. The mishap occurred as both the loco pilot and co-pilot of one of the trains involved in the accident were ‘watching cricket match on phone,’ he said.
The Railway Minister disclosed the reason of the mishap while while talking about new safety measures that Indian Railways has been working on. He said that Railway department is installing systems which can detect any such distraction and make sure that the pilots and the assistant pilots are fully focused on running the train.
It is to be noted here that Rayagada Passenger train rammed into the Visakhapatnam Palasa train from behind at 7 pm on October 29, 2023. While 14 people including the loco pilot and co-pilot were killed and over 500 passengers were injured following the accident.
The train did not follow the defective auto signals of stopping for two minutes and then start at 10 kmph, which led to the collision. However, the probe report of Commissioners of Railway Safety (CRS) is yet to be made public.
Ms Kalinga