India’s railway minister announced on Sunday that the cause and those responsible for India’s worst rail disaster in decades had been identified, while pointing to an electronic signaling system.
“We have identified the cause of the accident and the people responsible for it,” Indian Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told ANI news agency on Sunday, adding that he was “not not appropriate” to disclose further details before the final investigation report.
“The change that occurred during the electronic engagement is the cause of the accident”
As a reminder, on Friday evening, three trains collided near Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha, killing at least 288 people and injuring 900 according to a provisional report.
According to the Minister, “the change that occurred during the electronic interlocking is the cause of the accident”, in reference to a complex set of signals managing traffic on the tracks to prevent the collision of trains. “The culprit and the manner in which the accident occurred will be discovered after a proper investigation,” he added.
‘Human error’ may have caused the crash
Confusion reigns at this stage but daily life Times of Indiaciting the preliminary investigation report, said on Sunday that “human error” may have caused the collision between three trains, one of the worst rail disasters in the country’s history.
THE Coromandel Expresslinking Calcutta to Madras, had been given the green light on Friday to run on the main track but was rerouted due to human error on a track where a freight train was already located, according to the newspaper.
The passenger train then struck the freight convoy at a speed of around 130 km/h. Three carriages then fell onto the adjacent track, hitting the rear of an express train which was operating between Bangalore and Calcutta. It was this collision that caused the most damage, adds the Times, citing the preliminary report. Odisha State Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena confirmed that around 900 injured people had been taken to hospital.