A problem in the electronic points system is believed to be the cause of India’s deadliest rail disaster in decades, India’s railroads minister said on Sunday, while families are still searching for their loved ones missing in the collision that killed at least 288 people.
“We have identified the cause of the accident and the people responsible for it,” Indian Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told news agency ANI on Sunday, adding that it was “not appropriate” to divulge further details before the final investigation report.
According to the Minister, “the change that occurred in the electronic switch was the cause of the accident”, referring to the complex computer system that manages traffic on India’s railroads to prevent trains from colliding.
The initial findings of the investigation have not yet been made public, but the Times of India, citing a preliminary investigation report, said on Sunday that a “human error” in signaling could have caused the three trains to collide.
The Coromandel Express, running from Calcutta to Madras, was reportedly given the green light to run on the main track, but was diverted onto a track where a freight train was already running, according to the newspaper.
The passenger train then collided with the freight train at a speed of around 130 km/h, near Balasore, some 200 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the capital of the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
Three wagons fell onto the adjacent track, striking the rear of an express train running between Bangalore and Calcutta. This collision caused the most damage, adds the Times.
“The culprit and the manner in which the accident occurred will be discovered after a full investigation,” it added.
At least 288 people perished in the tragedy and over 900 others were injured. But the death toll could be much higher, at 380, according to Sudhanshu Sarangi, Director General of the Odisha State Fire Service.
“No one responsible” for the accident will be spared, promised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the disaster site on Saturday and met the injured in hospital.
Following in the footsteps of Pope Francis and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his “sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims”, praising “the heroic efforts of the first responders and medical personnel”.
At this stage, this rail accident is the deadliest in India since 1995, when two express trains collided in Firozabad, near Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, killing over 300 people.
Maïssa Ben Fares, with AFP
