Odisha Train Accident: Railway Board Recommends CBI Probe

Vaishnaw had said that the root cause of the accident in Odisha has been identified and all facts will be revealed soon.

New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the Railway Board has recommended a CBI probe into the triple train accident in Odisha. Earlier, Vaishnaw had said that the root cause of the accident in Odisha has been identified and all facts will be revealed soon. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that those found responsible would not be spared.

Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday visited the train accident site in Odisha’s Balasore where 275 people died and said the root cause of the tragedy has been identified. Vaishnaw said the accident happened due to a “change in an electronic interlocking”.

“The commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter and let the investigation report come. But we have identified the cause of the incident and the people responsible for it. It happened due to a change in electronic interlocking. Right now our focus is on restoration,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Vaishnaw said that the accident has nothing to do with the anti-collision system. “It has nothing to do with Kavach. This incident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking,” said the Railway Minister.

“The main focus is now to complete the restoration work by Wednesday morning. The commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter and let the investigation report come but we have identified the cause of the incident and the people responsible for it. It happened due to a change in electronic interlocking. Right now our focus is on restoration,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The tragic train accident involving three trains took place late Friday evening. It involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train.

The train crash, the fourth deadliest in India according to available records, happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday. In terms of the number of lives lost, the Coromandel Express Accident is as deadly as Gaisal (1999) and Jnaneswari (2010), both in West Bengal.

Seventeen coaches were derailed and were severely damaged in the accident, trapping hundreds of passengers. Both passenger trains were at a high speed and it has been cited by experts as one of the main reasons for the high number of casualties.