India reels from deadly train crash

More than 288 people have died in India’s worst rail crash in over two decades after a passenger train went off the tracks and hit another one. The cause of two trains derailed, preliminary has been reported due to a signal failure, but still there is no exact clue.

It’s the deadliest rail crash in the country, and the surviving victims are blaming the government for poor maintenance and mismanagement. Nearly 1,000 others received injuries in the incident, where the government says they are working to investigate the incident.

There were over 2,000 people on board at the time of the clash, and the rescue team scrambled to rescue survivors and bring out the dead bodies. Hospitals filled with bodies and people were dispersing to find their loved ones. The India Army soldiers and its Air Force choppers were also present to rescue and transport the injured to hospitals.

One of the survivors, Manto Kumar, who was traveling on the Coromandel Express with six of his friends, said suddenly something crashed into them. Some of the coaches rolled to the other side,” the 32-year-old restaurant worker told CNN from a hospital in India’s eastern Odisha state.

“I got up and wrapped my shirt around my bleeding head. Then, I started looking for my friends. Everyone was shouting ‘save us… save us.” One of Kumar’s friends lost both his legs in the crash and was rushed to hospital. He did not survive his injuries.

Unfolding stories across India

Kumar’s story is just one of hundreds unfolding across the country because Friday’s train crash was the worst ever in India where people are in shock.

Three days later, the families are still trying to locate their loved ones and still many dead bodies remain unidentified. The health conditions of some of the injured passengers were reported critical.

Hospitals in the town of Balasore were flooded with injuries and the dead bodies have been covered by white sheets. Some of the killed people were only the breadwinner in the family, where on a daily basis, thousands of poor people travel in Indian trains without a reservation from one place to another.

Indian Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that investigation has been underway to find the cause of the incident. Vaishnaw, who is facing calls to resign, said that he will provide full reports on the circumstance of the crash.

Indian Primer distressed by train accident

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the crash site to examine the relief efforts and to also meet with some injured people and doctors in the hospital.

“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon,” Modi said, adding that all possible assistance is being given to those affected.

Indian Prime Minister Modi speaks to officials and rescue workers at the site.

In a tweet message he said: “Took stock of the situation at the site of the tragedy in Odisha. Words can’t capture my deep sorrow. We stand committed to providing all possible assistance to those affected. I laud all those working round the clock, on the ground and helping out in relief work.”

Modi is amazed by the courage and compassion shown by the Indian people in the face of adversity. “As soon as the train mishap took place in Odisha, people immersed themselves in assisting rescue ops. Several people lined up to donate blood,” he added.

Error in signaling system lead to crash

Railway Minister Vaishnaw citing a preliminary report said that a signal was given to the high-speed Coromandel Express to run on the main track line, but the signal later changed.

Due to the error, the train entered an adjacent loop line where it rammed into a freight truck loaded with iron ore and resulted in a deadly crash.

Still the result of investigation is pending and the Indian Railways spokesperson, Jaya Varma Sinha said that the train moved forward only after it received a ‘green’ signal.

The spokesman said that the train did not jump any signal nor the train was over speed

Signaling failure can occur either due to technical malfunction or human error, a train station superintendent in Odisha state explained. He said that traffic signals are often handled by personnel in every station, blaming the negligence of drivers for the crash.