India’s railway ministry has made a recommendation for the country’s premier detective agency to investigate the tragic crash that claimed the lives of 275 individuals.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced this decision, but specific details were not provided.
Initial investigations led by the railways have already commenced, with preliminary reports suggesting that a signal fault was the cause of the collision.
Occurring on Friday night, this three-train accident has been described as India’s most devastating rail disaster of the century.
Over 1,000 people sustained injuries and were transported to hospitals, while some families are still desperately searching for their missing loved ones.
The rationale behind the Railway Board, the ministry’s highest decision-making body, recommending a separate investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) remains unclear, especially when other inquiries have already been initiated.
The CBI specializes in probing high-profile criminal cases, encompassing serious financial fraud and homicide. According to Mr. Vaishnaw, the railway minister, the “root cause” of the accident has been determined, along with those responsible for this “criminal act.”
He added that a “change in electronic interlocking” was the likely cause of the accident. The minister urged people to wait for the final report.
A report by the Commissioner of Railway Safety would be made public soon and it would reveal the cause, he said.
Meanwhile, the railways said on Sunday that the Coromandel Express’s engine and coaches crashed into a goods train due to a signal fault and a “change in electronic interlocking”.
In railway signalling the electronic interlocking system sets routes for each train in a set area, ensuring the safe movement of trains along the track.
The impact of the crash threw coaches of the Coromandel Express onto a third track and they rammed into the rear carriages of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express that was coming down the line at a high speed.
More than 3,000 passengers are thought to have been on board the two passenger trains.
Atul Karwal, chief of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said the force of the collision left several coaches crushed. Rescuers had to cut through the wreckage to reach the passengers.
Hundreds of ambulances, doctors, nurses and rescue personnel were sent to the scene and worked for 18 hours to rescue passengers and pull out bodies.
On Sunday night, Mr Vaishnaw said train movement had been restored on the railway tracks where the accident took place.
Reports say several passengers are still missing.
Opposition leaders have called on Mr Vaishnaw to take responsibility for the tragedy and resign.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has responded by asking them not to politicise the accident.