Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a statement, said that the cause of the Odisha train tragedy was “a change in electronic interlocking.” Sharing more details on the cause of the accident Jaya Varma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board, said that the according to the preliminary finding, there was an issue with signalling. However, the exact details of the accident are yet to be ascertained with the report from the investigation board. She refrained from sharing any details without the report of the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
Explaining the accident, Sinha further said, “Only Coromandel Express was subjected to the accident.” Shutting down the rumours of three-engine, Sinha said, “Only train has been damaged, the Coromandel Express. The train got in an accident and crashed with the train carrying Iron ore, sending its engine coaches over the train with iron ore. The Express train absorbed all the impacts, resulting in the loss of lives.”
Also read: Odisha Train Accident: Ashwini Vaishnaw Says Root Cause Of Crash Identified, Details Here
Jaya Sinha added, “Because of the iron ore on the goods train, it remained stable, and the impact scattered the coaches of Coromandel Express.” Following this, the Yashwantpur Express crashed with the scattered coaches at a speed of 126 kmph. She said, “The derailed bogies of Coromandel Express came on the down line and hit the last two bogies of Yashwantpur Express, which was crossing at the speed of 126 km/h from the down line.”
The Railway Board member further clarified the rumours regarding helpline number 139. She said the calls on the number are not forwarded to a call centre, all the grievances are being addressed by the railway officials. Sinha said, “The family members of the injured or deceased can call us, and we will make sure that they are able to meet them. We will take care of their journey and other expenses.”
Talking about the ex-gratia, the official said that it is being distributed to the people affected. As per the announcement, ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries, Rs 2 lakhs for those grievously injured, and Rs 10 lakhs in case of death is being made.