Two days a after deadly three-train accident in Odisha’s Balasore, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the root cause of the deadly train accident has been identified.
The three-way accident involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Express, the Coromandel Express and a goods train at the Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district, occurred late on Friday, 2 June. 17 coaches of these two trains have been derailed and severely damaged.
The Union Minister told news agency ANI:
“The root cause of this accident has been identified. PM Modi inspected the site yesterday. We will try to restore the track today. All bodies have been removed. Our target is to finish the restoration work by Wednesday morning so that trains can start running on this track”.
According to a report published by the Odisha government at 12 noon on 4 June, 275 people have lost their lives in the triple train accident, while 1,175 people have been injured. The rescue operations are still underway.
The accident site was visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as well as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee among others.
Here are the key highlights from Sunday, 4 June so far:
"The Railways Board has recommended that the investigation into the matter be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)," Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told news reporters. He added that the restoration work is "almost complete".
Union Ministry of Railways announced that helpline number 139 can be used for those affected by the train accident in Odisha. In a press release, officials of the railway ministry said that senior officers will be manning the helpline number round the clock.
"Restoration work is underway at the site of Balasore train accident, with railway track trial being carried out. As per Railway Board, at least two railway lines are expected to be operational by 8pm today, news agency ANI has reported. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had inspected the site of the accident earlier today.
"62 people from West Bengal died in this accident. 206 people are being treated in the state. 73 people from the state are admitted to various hospitals in Odisha. While 56 people from West Bengal have been discharged from the hospitals in Odisha. 182 people are yet to be identified," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told media persons in Kolkata.
The South Eastern Railways has cancelled 33 trains and diverted 36 trains to alternate routes. Meanwhile, the government of Odisha, which is observing mourning today, has announced a free bus service to Kolkata from Puri, Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack.
Pope Francis condoled the loss of life in the Balasore Train Accident. He said, "My prayer goes to the many victims of the train accident that occurred two days ago in India. I express my closeness to the injured and their families. May the Heavenly Father welcome the souls of the deceased into his kingdom." (news agency Reuters has reported)
"The goods train did not get derailed. Since the goods train was carrying iron ores, the maximum damage of the impact was on Coromandel Express. This is the reason for a huge number of deaths and injuries. The derailed bogies of Coromandel Express came on the down line, and hit the last two bogies of Yashwantpur Express which was crossing at the speed of 126 km/h from down line," Jaya Varma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board told the media during a press briefing.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy announced compensation to the family members of those who lost their lives in the triple train accident in Odisha. Reddy directed officials to provide an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in the Odisha train accident, Rs 5 lakh to those who were seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh to those who were injured.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the "root cause" of the crash was a "change in electronic interlocking" and added "the cause of the incident and the people responsible" have been identified as well.
Railway officials announced on Sunday that a dedicated team of bulldozers and cranes successfully cleared the wrecked railway coaches from most of the railway tracks overnight and reported ongoing efforts to repair the damaged tracks and overhead electric lines that had snapped during the incident.
In a coordinated effort with the civil administration and Indian Railways, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed Mi-17 helicopters to assist in the evacuation of the deceased and injured individuals. The Eastern Command has highlighted the significance of these collective endeavors in effectively managing the aftermath of this unfortunate incident.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced ex-gratia compensation for the victims and their families. The next of the kin of the deceased will receive Rs 5 lakh and those with serious injuries will get Rs 1 lakh as assistance. State governments of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have taken out similar schemes.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that more than 1,000 people were injured in the incident and over 100 need critical care. Mandaviya added that doctors from Delhi's AIIMS, Lady Hardinge Hospital and RML Hospital arrived with modern equipment.
United States President Joe Biden said that he is "heartbroken by the tragic news." British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emanuel Macron and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau also expressed their condolences.
A Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a probe into the Balasore train accident by an expert panel headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court. It also sought directions for the implementation of KAVACH, the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)