Odisha Tragedy: Coromandel Express set to back on same track from tomorrow

Coromandel Express which was involved in the major accident which claimed 278 lives and injured 1200, is all set to return on the same track from Wednesday.

According to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), train number 12842 will start its journey from Chennai Central at 7 AM and will terminate at Shalimar the very next day at around 10:40 am.

Around 40 bodies recovered from the Coromandel Express involved in the triple train crash had no visible injury marks and are believed to have died of electrocution, the GRP said.

An FIR registered at the Government Railway Police station at Balasore indicated that live overhead wires which snapped when the accident occurred, entangled with a few coaches, electrocuting the passengers trapped in them.

Sub-inspector of Police, P Kumar Nayak in his FIR said, “Many passengers succumbed to injuries caused due to the collision and electrocution (after) coming in contact with overhead LT (low tension) line.” The overhead wires snapped as coaches which toppled over during the triple train accident overturned electrical masts, said officials.

The three trains involved in the major accident which claimed 278 lives and injured 1200, were the Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Express and a stationary goods train.

The CBI has on Tuesday taken over the Balasore GRP case No. 64 registered by Odisha Police.

Earlier, Odisha Government Railway Police (GRP) registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unidentified persons under multiple sections of the Railway Act 1989 and Indian Penal Code (IPC) in connection to the Odisha train accident.

According to the FIR Report, the case has been registered under sections 154, 175, and 153 of the Railway Act and under sections 337, 338, 304 A, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

“On 03.06.2023 at 01.00 AM, I Sub Inspector Papu Kumar Naik at Chaklundapal, Police station Turununga, Dist Keojhar, At/Pre-SI of Police Balasore GRPS drew up the plain paper FIR at the PS on 02.06.2023 at 06.55 PM due to collision between Train No-12841 Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express and Train No-12864 Yesbantapur-Howrah Express, the Boggies of both trains capsized causing death more than hundred and injuries to several hundreds of passengers,” FIR read.

“The dead body and injured person were shifted to DHH Balasore, DHH Bhadrak, CHC Soro and other Hospital rescue operations continuing. This report reveals a coge case, Balasore GRPS Case No-64, dated 03.06.2023 under sections 337/338/304A /34 IPC /153/154/175 Railway Act, his registered and requested to Ranjeet Nayak OPS SDRPO Cuttack has taken off the investigation,” it added.

FIR report also mentioned that at present culpability of specific Railway Employees is not ascertained, which will be unearthed during the investigation. Earlier today, a 10-member CBI team reached the site of the train accident in Odisha’s Balasore on Tuesday as part of its investigations into the tragedy that took place on June 2 and resulted in the death of 275 people.

The CBI is probing the accident that involved two passengers and a goods train. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday said that the Railway Board had recommended a CBI probe into the tragic accident.

The minister had also said that the accident occurred due to a “change in electronic interlocking”.Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that facilitates the safe movement of a train through an arrangement of tracks.

The aim of this system is that no train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is safe. The Railways are also conducting a probe into the accident. The three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and goods trains on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in the Balasore district.

With inputs from agencies

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