Rescue operations have been concluded following a devastating train accident in the Balasore district of Odisha, India, which claimed the lives of 275 people and injured over 1,000 others. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General Atul Karwal confirmed that the wreckage had been checked multiple times and that no further victims – dead or alive – could be located. He praised the prompt and effective response of the nine teams consisting of around 300 rescuers at the location and suggested that normal train travel would soon resume.
The accident involved three trains – the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express, and a goods train on three separate tracks – at Bahanaga Bazar Station. The Union Minister responsible for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, attributed the accident to a change in electronic interlocking, which confused the signal apparatus and prevented it from ensuring that the route was safe for the proceeding trains. Vaishnaw has been personally overseeing the restoration work and was visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged him to keep track of progress at the accident site. The Railway Board has recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation conduct a probe into the incident.
