Odisha train tragedy: Railway seeks CBI probe into accident that killed over 270 people

Balasore (Odisha), June 4: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday that the Railway Board had recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigate the tragic Odisha train accident that killed 275 persons and injured over 1000 more.

Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, "Rescue operation was completed and restoration work is underway. The work related to the track is done and overhead wiring work is going on. Patients are being treated at hospitals. Along with rescue operation, the restoration work was also started."

"The way this accident happened, looking at the conditions, and according to the administrative information. The Railway Board is recommending the probe to the CBI," he further said.

So far, 275 people have been killed and over 1,000 have been injured in the Balasore train clash, which involved two passenger trains and a goods carriage, according to Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena.

Earlier in the day, Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the train accident occurred due to a "change in electronic interlocking".

Electronic interlocking is a system of signalling apparatus that prohibits conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in improper sequence. The goal of this system is to ensure that no train receives a signal to proceed unless the route has been confirmed safe.

"This is a different issue. It is about a point machine, electronic interlocking. The change that occurred during electronic interlocking, the accident happened due to that. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after proper investigation," Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

He also took stock of the restoration work at the Balasore train accident site in Odisha on Sunday and said that the "down main line restored".

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