The Indian train drivers involved in a fatal collision that killed 14 people in Andhra Pradesh state in October were reportedly distracted by watching cricket on a phone.
The collision occurred as India was playing England during the ODI World Cup.
According to the Press Trust of India news agency, Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw attributed the recent incident in Andhra Pradesh to the distraction of both the loco-pilot and co-pilot due to a cricket match.
To prevent such distractions, we are implementing systems that can detect them and ensure that the train drivers and assistant pilots remain fully focused on operating the train.
Hundreds of millions of cricket fans in India tuned in to watch the live broadcast of the World Cup match, which the hosts won.
According to the Hindustan Times, officials sacked the station master and three other employees for negligence after a runaway freight train travelled 70km without a driver last month.
The unmanned train consisted of around 50 carriages and travelled solo for close to two hours.
India has one of the largest rail networks in the world. Unfortunately, the country has experienced several disasters over the years. The worst of these occurred in 1981 when a train derailed while crossing a bridge in Bihar state, resulting in an estimated 800 fatalities.
In June 2023, a collision involving three trains killed nearly 300 people in Odisha state.
In recent years, however, India has invested heavily in upgrading the network with modern stations and electronic signalling systems.