Odisha Train Accident: Ashwini Vaishnaw Says Root Cause Of Crash Identified, Details Here

Railways Minister said that the people responsible for the triple train collision have been identified while blaming a change in electronic interlocking for the accident in Balasore.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who reviewed the restoration work at the Balasore triple train collision site on Sunday, said the root cause of the accident has been identified, and the track will likely be restored by today.

The Balasore train accident where two passenger trains and a goods carriage were involved, leaving 288 passengers dead and injuring over 1,000 people.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, while speaking to ANI, said that the target is to finish 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," Vaishnaw told ANI.

Earlier on Saturday, the Railways 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.

"Restoration work is ongoing at Warfooting at the train accident site in Balasore, Odisha, with 1000+ Manpower working tirelessly. At present, more than 7 Poclain Machines, 2 Accident Relief Trains, and 3-4 Railway and Road Cranes have been deployed for early restoration. Officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site," read the post on the official Twitter handle of the Railways ministry.

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.

The preliminary report on the tragedy said the three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express, and a goods train 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.