New Delhi: In an interview with PTI, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Saturday, revealed that the October 29, 2023 collision of two passenger trains that led to the death of 14 passengers was caused by the driver and assistant driver of one of the trains being distracted by a cricket match which was being streamed on a phone. 

Referring to the accident, the Railway Minister said that systems are now being installed on trains which can detect such moments of distraction and ensure that pilots and assistant pilots remain focused on the running of locomotives. 

He added, "We will continue to put our focus on safety. We try to find out the root cause of every incident and we come up with a solution so that it is not repeated."

While the probe report conducted by the Commissioners of Railway Safety (CRS) is yet to be made public, a preliminary railway probe, a day after the accident, had held the driver and the assistant driver of the Rayagada Passenger train responsible for the collision as it passed two defective auto signals violating norms.

Both crew members were killed in the accident.