Odisha train accident: ‘Have identified the cause of the incident’, says Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Odisha train tragedy: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter, and added that officials have identified the cause of the incident and the people responsible for it.

The railway minister said, "It happened due to a change in electronic interlocking. Right now our focus is on restoration".

Earlier on Saturday, the Railway Ministry informed that the restoration work was ongoing at war footing in Odisha's Balasore.

In a tweet, the Ministry of Railways said that the officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site.

Most railway tracks have been cleared of wrecked railway coaches overnight by a team of bulldozers and cranes so that railway services on the main trunk line connecting eastern and southern India can be restored

The preliminary report on the tragedy said the three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express, and goods trains on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district. As many as 17 coaches of these two passenger trains were derailed and severely damaged in the accident on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors and experts from the AIIMS and other central hospitals have been rushed to Bhubaneshwar through a special IAF flight to provide medical assistance to those injured in the train tragedy.

Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of the railway minister. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said, "When Railways Minister repeatedly says that our system is fool-proof and any severe accident cannot happen then how this happened... He (Ashwini Vaishnaw) is an ex-IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, where this tragedy has taken place. There is an example where in such a train accident, Lal Bahadur Shastri had resigned from his post".

The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Mi-17 helicopters for the evacuation of the deceased and injured. According to the Eastern Command, IAF coordinated the rescue efforts with the civil administration and Indian Railways.

According to India’s Comptroller and Auditor General, Indian Railways recorded 2,017 accidents from 2017 to 2021. Derailments accounted for 69% of the accidents, resulting in 293 deaths.

The report found multiple factors including track defects, maintenance issues, outdated signaling equipment, and human errors as main causes of the derailments. It also said lack of money or non-utilization of available funds for track restorations led to 26% of the accidents.

Even though the railway safety in India has improved compared to earlier years when serious crashes and accidents near unmanned crossings were more frequent, scores have still died and hundreds have been injured.