Odisha train tragedy

As the Railways recommend a CBI probe into the devastating multi-train collision in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2, The Hindu takes a look at the major developments so far

At least 275 people were killed and more than 1,000 were left injured in a horrific three-train collision, involving a Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2.

Earlier, the Railways had declared the death toll at 288. However, on June 4, the Odisha government put the death toll at 275, saying that some bodies had been counted twice.

The accident occurred when the Coromandel Express, travelling on the main line heading south, crashed into a goods train parked on a loop line at the Bahanaga Bazar station in Bihar. The Yashwantpur-Howrah express, on the main line travelling north, then collided with some of the Coromandel Express’ derailed coaches.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited the spot on June 3 to take stock of the accident — dubbed as one of the most tragic accidents in the country.

Also read: In Frames | A glimpse of the triple train tragedy in Odisha’s Balasore district

The Railway Board has recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on June 4. The Board said that “signalling interference” has been identified as the main cause of the accident.

Saying that the root cause of the collision had been identified as a problem in electronic interlocking — which is the operational signalling system for this stretch of the track — the Minister added that the people responsible for the error had also been identified.