Odisha train accident: ‘Root cause’ of the mishap identified, says Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
Vaishnaw said track restoration work is going on in full swing at present and that all bodies have been recovered.
- Jun 4, 2023,
- Updated Jun 4, 2023 10:02 AM IST
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the root cause of the deadly train accident in Odisha’s Balasore has been identified but did not divulge much details. Vaishnaw said track restoration work is going on in full swing at present and that all bodies have been recovered. He further said that the Centre aims to finish the track restoration work by Wednesday evening so that trains can start running on this track as usual.
The Union Minister was quoted as saying by 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”.
Ashwini Vaishnaw is taking stock of the situation and aiding with the rescue operations in Balasore since Friday night. Vaishnaw said earlier that the focus is on rescue and relief operations. He added that a detailed high-level inquiry will be conducted into the incident and rail safety commissioner will also do an independent inquiry.
Meanwhile, the South Eastern Railway (SER) will run two MEMU special trains on Sunday from Howrah to Balasore and back to Howrah to test the railway line. While one train will leave Howrah at 10:30 am, another train will leave Howrah at 01:00 pm. These trains will stop at all stations between Howrah and Balasore, as per the SER statement.
On Friday evening, several coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express derailed and fell on adjacent tracks, as per a Railways official. The official said these coaches collided with the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and its coaches too capsized.
According to Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena, a third goods train was also involved in the accident. As many as 288 passengers were killed and over 1,100 people got injured in the Balasore train accident, touted to be one of the most horrific train disasters that India has witnessed.
Also read: Odisha train accident: 'Will hold people of India in our thoughts', says US President Joe Biden
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the root cause of the deadly train accident in Odisha’s Balasore has been identified but did not divulge much details. Vaishnaw said track restoration work is going on in full swing at present and that all bodies have been recovered. He further said that the Centre aims to finish the track restoration work by Wednesday evening so that trains can start running on this track as usual.
The Union Minister was quoted as saying by 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”.
Ashwini Vaishnaw is taking stock of the situation and aiding with the rescue operations in Balasore since Friday night. Vaishnaw said earlier that the focus is on rescue and relief operations. He added that a detailed high-level inquiry will be conducted into the incident and rail safety commissioner will also do an independent inquiry.
Meanwhile, the South Eastern Railway (SER) will run two MEMU special trains on Sunday from Howrah to Balasore and back to Howrah to test the railway line. While one train will leave Howrah at 10:30 am, another train will leave Howrah at 01:00 pm. These trains will stop at all stations between Howrah and Balasore, as per the SER statement.
On Friday evening, several coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express derailed and fell on adjacent tracks, as per a Railways official. The official said these coaches collided with the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and its coaches too capsized.
According to Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena, a third goods train was also involved in the accident. As many as 288 passengers were killed and over 1,100 people got injured in the Balasore train accident, touted to be one of the most horrific train disasters that India has witnessed.
Also read: Odisha train accident: 'Will hold people of India in our thoughts', says US President Joe Biden