The cause of the fatal train accident in India and the people responsible have been determined, Railways Minister says

(CNN) – Indian authorities have determined that the speed and impact of the Coromandel Express colliding with a freight train carrying iron ore are the reasons for the high number of injuries and casualties in the fatal train accident in Odisha state.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Jaya Varma Sinha, Head of Exploitation and Business Development at the Indian Ministry of Railways, said: “The wrecked train collided with an iron ore train stopped on the uphill line. I felt the engine and the carriages hitting it.”

“The impact was strong, the train was traveling at a top speed of 128 km/h, and the other thing is that it was a freight train transporting iron ore, which is a heavy train, so all the impact of the collision was felt in the moving train,” Sinha said.

Referring to the third train involved in the collision, Sinha said, “…the Yashwantpur Express was moving at a very high speed of 126 kmph, it was moving so fast, it’s unfortunate that in a split second, the train was moving so fast. Three carriages from Yashwantpur Express to intercept other derailed carriages,” he continued, adding that people on Yashwantpur Express were also killed and injured.

The death toll from the train accident has been revised from 288 to 275. The corrected figure is due to an error in the counting of some bodies, according to Chief Secretary of Odisha State Pradeep Jena.

Earlier on Sunday, India’s Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnau, said that the cause of the railway accident and those responsible had already been determined, but refused to give further details.

“This incident occurred due to a change in the electronic gear. We will find out who is responsible for this error in our investigation,” Vaishnau told the news agency of India.

Sinha added at the press conference this Sunday that the trains, which were developed by Germany’s Linke Hofmann Bosch Group and made in India, are safe.

“This accident, unfortunately, was of such magnitude that at the speed at which the train is moving, it would be impossible for this kind of accident not to have occurred.”

Rescue work ended at the site of a fatal train accident in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Saturday night, and workers began clearing rubble and debris.

“The 21 carriages that overturned due to the train derailment at Bhanaga Bazar station have been immobilized. Now the place is being cleared,” said a statement issued on Sunday by the Press Information Office quoting the State Railways Department.

More than 1,000 workers have been involved with seven bulldozers, two relief trains and four railway and road cranes, the Indian Ministry of Railways said Saturday in a statement.

Indian Prime Minister praises the rescue teams

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised the local authorities and people involved in the search and rescue operations in the eastern state of Odisha.

“I commend everyone who belongs to the Railway Teams, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), ODRAF (Odisha Rapid Action Disaster Force), Local Authorities, Police, Firefighters, Volunteers and others who work tirelessly on the ground and enhance rescue operations. Proud of his dedication,” Modi tweeted on Saturday.

Work is already underway to clear and repair tracks. Officials had hoped to find bodies in the rubble, but there was little hope of finding any survivors.

“…we will remove the trolleys one by one, but we don’t have much hope of finding survivors,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, director general of Odisha Fire Services, told the News Agency of India on Saturday.

Victim compensation declaration

Chief Minister of the eastern Indian state of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, on Sunday announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (6,067 US dollars) for the relatives of those killed in the fatal train accident, and 100,000 rupees (1,213 US dollars) for people seriously injured. .

Patnaik also spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone to update him on the latest developments in the aftermath of the fatal train accident, particularly the condition of the injured, according to a statement from the Odisha Department of Information and Public Relations.

The statement said Patnaik “confirmed that all possible measures were taken to save the lives of the injured passengers in the various hospitals.”

“Doctors and medical students are doing their best to save lives… Doctors, students and citizens are donating blood to the injured,” the statement continued.

– CNN’s Sania Farooqui contributed to this report.