Cause of India train accident identified

Rescue workers work at the scene of a train accident in Odisha, India, June 3. (Photo: THX/TTXVN)

On June 4, Indian Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the cause and those responsible for the tragic train accident in Odisha state on the evening of June 2 that killed nearly 300 people and injured more than 1,000 others had been identified.

In a television interview, Minister Ashwini said the cause of the accident was a change in the electronic interlocking process. This technical term refers to a complex signalling system that coordinates the movement of trains on the tracks to prevent them from colliding with each other.

He added that it would be "inappropriate" to provide further details about the cause of the accident before the final investigation report was available.

Earlier, an Indian railway official revealed that a faulty track signal may have caused the collision of three trains.

"The Coromandel Express (Shalimar - Chennai route) on the evening of June 2 was supposed to enter the main track. However, the signal was switched on to guide the train onto the side track, causing it to hit the goods train parked there," said KS Anand, Director of Communications of South Eastern Railway.

After colliding with the freight train, several carriages of the Coromandel train overturned and blocked two adjacent tracks, derailing the Howrah Express (Bengaluru-Howrah route) as it approached at a speed of 116 km/h.

New developments have emerged suggesting that the Coromandel was the first ship to trigger the chain of events, as opposed to the Howrah, which was initially believed to have been the vessel.

According to the India Express, railway officials gave the green light for the Coromandel to enter the main track. However, the signal was turned off for unknown reasons.

The Indian Railway Safety Board has not yet completed its investigation into whether the signal was faulty, whether there was negligence on the part of the signal operator or the train driver.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the scene to oversee the rescue operation. "This is a very serious incident and anyone found guilty will be severely punished," Modi said.

India is the country with the fourth largest railway network in the world , with a total length of more than 126,000km.

However, the system has been plagued by poor maintenance and deteriorating infrastructure. In 2021, India recorded nearly 18,000 train accidents, killing more than 16,400 people.

Many countries around the world have sent condolences to India. On June 3, President Vo Van Thuong sent condolences to President Droupadi Murmu; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi; National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue sent condolences to Vice President and Chairman of the Indian Senate Jagdeep Dhankhar; Speaker of the Indian House of Representatives Om Birla; and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son sent condolences to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

VNA