Page 7 - Train Accident

Triple train crash: CRS submits report to railways, CBI also investigating

The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) probing the triple-train accident in Odisha's Balasore has submitted its report to the Railway Board, sources said on Thursday. The contents of the report could not be immediately ascertained. Senior Railway Board officials refused to comment on the report's findings. On June 2, three trains collided in Balasore district, claiming more than 280 lives and injuring over 1,000 people. The Coromandel Express entered the passing loop instead of the main line near Bahanaga Bazar railway station at full speed and collided with a stationary goods train. Apart from a CRS probe, the CBI is also investigating the tragic incident. Since the accident, the Railways has transferred several top officials of the South Eastern Railway under whose jurisdiction the tragedy occurred. Initial probe had suggested a signalling interference, either by negligence or by intent as the probable cause of the accident.

Stop shortcuts: Railway Board chairman message after Balasore tragedy

Negligence or interference in the operations of interlocking is prima facie being seen as the cause behind the Balasore three-train accident

Balasore aftermath: Railways eases execution of Kavach and safety works

Signalling and telecom projects to no longer need economic justification

Odisha tragedy: Ex-controllers suggest CCTV surveillance for relay rooms

A section of retired chief train controllers has suggested that relay rooms, station control panels and divisional control departments should be brought under CCTV surveillance to enhance safety, minimise laxity on the part of employees and rule out the possibility of sabotage or foul play. They said that these are the most crucial areas that act as the heart and brain for the rail network but have never been under round-the-clock electronic surveillance. This will remain a chink in the armour of the railways whatever other safety measures it takes, they added. Their suggestion came weeks after an interference with the interlocking system, which is an automated signalling system, was suspected to have caused a triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore district which claimed more than 280 lives. Officials had also hinted at "sabotage" and tampering with the electronic interlocking system. Anil K Bharda, former chief train controller, Mumbai Division, Central Railway Zone, said, "The

Vaishnaw on 3-day visit to Odisha, to visit Balasore accident site

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will arrive here Monday evening for a three-day visit to Odisha.

Death toll rises to 291 in Odisha's Balasore three-train train accident

The death toll from a three-train crash in Odisha's Balasore reached 291, officials said on Saturday

Odisha triple train accident: Death toll increases to 291, says official

The death toll in the Balasore train accident mounted to 291 after a passenger from Bihar succumbed to his injuries at SCB Medical College Hospital here on Saturday, officials said. The passenger was identified as Sahil Mansur (32) of Roshanpur in Bhagalpur district of Bihar. He was undergoing treatment at the ICU of trauma care, hospital sources said, adding that the patient was also suffering from a kidney-related ailment. He was also under dialysis, they said. SCB Medical College Hospital Superintendent Dr Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra said the patient died due to cardiac arrest. He had multiple injuries both internal and external and also had renal issues. Mishra said of the 205 patients admitted at the SCB medical college hospital, 46 patients are still under treatment which included 13 patients in ICU. "Of the 13 patients in ICU, the condition of two to three people remain critical," he said, adding that the condition of the remaining patients was stable. On Friday, Prakash Ram, 22,

85 Odisha NDRF rescuers undergo assessment for PTSD, found 'okay'

Eighty-five NDRF personnel who were part of the Odisha train accident rescue operations underwent a psychological assessment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on Friday, with an official saying they have been found to be "okay". The federal contingency force has made it mandatory for its personnel to undergo a counselling session to check for PSTD once they come back from operations in which they have seen people suffering from grievous injuries, screaming with pain and had to retrieve dead bodies. The assessment was conducted by experts from the AIIMS-Kalyani in West Bengal. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had deployed nine teams, drawn from its battalion bases in Mundali in Odisha and Kolkata, for rescue operations on June 2 following the three-train accident that claimed 290 lives and injured over 1,000. "Experts from the AIIMS located at Kalyani (in West Bengal's Nadia district) spoke to the 85 rescuers who were part of the rescue operation following the tra

Odisha Triple Train Accident: Death toll increases to 290, says official

The toll in Bahanaga Bazar train disaster rose to 290 after a 17-year-old resident of Bihar succumbed to his injuries in SCB Medical College and Hospital here on Friday, officials said. Prakash Ram, who was travelling in the ill-fated Shalimar-Chennai Coromondel Express on June 2 when it met with the accident, was undergoing treatment at the surgery ward of the state-run hospital, he said. He had sustained severe head and leg injuries, besides internal injuries and was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. A portion of his left leg was amputated below the knee but his condition deteriorated during the past few days, the hospital authority said. It informed the local police about the death and the body will be handed over to Prakash's family after post-mortem. Hospital superintendent Sudhanshu Sekhar Mishra told PTI that the doctors had carried out a second amputation above the left knee three days ago as the patient had suffered from infection after blood transfusion.

Sukesh asks Vaishnaw to accept Rs 10 cr donation for Odisha tragedy victims

Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar has written a letter to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urging him to accept a donation of Rs 10 crore as a contribution towards victims of the Odisha train tragedy

Cong highlights Railway Board member's letter, asks if CBI will probe it

Even as CBI is probing Balasore train accident, Cong raised questions on five cases highlighted in a letter by a Railway Board member and asked whether the agency will probe this too

One more Coromandel train crash victim succumbs; death toll rises to 289

The toll in the Odisha triple train accident increased to 289 after an injured passenger succumbed in the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Tuesday, an official said. The passenger was identified as Bijay Paswan, a resident of Bihar. He was admitted to the Cuttack facility on June 3, a day after one of the worst train disasters in the country took place at Bahanga Bazar station in Balasore district. Paswan was suffering from multiple injuries including one in the spinal cord. He was also suffering from hypertension, a hospital official said. The brother of the deceased said Paswan's health condition worsened on Monday night and he died on Tuesday. The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2. A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time.

For speed and safety on the tracks, Indian Railways has problems to solve

Repairs or maintenance of a railway line is unpleasant news to break to station controllers, who along with officials in divisions, guide thousands of rakes and trains every day

Rly Board posts vacancies in safety category, days after Balasore tragedy

The Railway Board on Monday directed its zones to launch a "special drive" to fill promotional vacancies especially in the safety category, a move that comes amidst criticism over vacant posts in the transportation behemoth following the Balasore three-train accident in which 288 people lost their lives. The internal order, accessed by PTI, has been sent to general managers of all railway zones and states that instructions have been issued by the Board from time to time emphasising the need for filling up promotional vacancies. "It has been reiterated that Railways should ensure making use of all modes of promotions such as Selection/Non-Selection/Trade Test/LDCE (Limited Departmental Competitive Examination)/GDCE (General Departmental Competitive Examination) liberally to fill up the vacancies timely by chalking out a suitable action plan for the same," it said. The order said that zonal railways should have by now assessed their vacancies and planned for filling them up as per the

Statsguru: Odisha three-train accident brings focus back on safety

The latest Budget shows that expenditure on railways has crossed Rs 5 trillion. The money spent on capital expenditure is close to 50 per cent, compared to around 37 per cent in 2017-18

Odisha train mishap: Trains won't stop at Bahanaga station till CBI's nod

No train will stop at the station till the CBI gives the green signal to the railway authorities, said Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, chief PRO, South Eastern Railway

Odisha train tragedy: Survivors show post-traumatic stress disorder

Even as many Balasore triple train accident survivors are recovering from physical injuries, around 40 of the 105 patients admitted in SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack are showing tendency of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), doctors said on Saturday. Considering the mental health condition of the survivors, the hospital has started counselling of all patients, Dr Jashobanta Mahapatra, associate professor of Clinical Psychology Department, said. Dr Mahapatra said it was natural for such an accident to have severe impact on the minds of the survivors. "Many were found to be severely stressed, fearful, panicked at times and silent. We are counselling them and talking to them along with their family members," he said. Dr Mahapatra said the hospital has set up four teams to counsel the survivors. "Each team comprises a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker and one or two members of the patient's family," he said. The survivors often wake up from their sleep af

Odisha accident: Civil societ flags efforts to undermine India's security

A group of prominent civil society members, including retired judges, bureaucrats and veterans, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday over the Odisha train tragedy, raising concerns over efforts to "undermine" India's national security and progress. The letter has been signed by 270 signatories. "We are greatly disturbed by the tragedy that has taken place in Balasore, Orissa involving our rapidly growing and modernizing Railways. Although investigation is still underway, as per initial media reports, there are reasons to suspect that the cause of the derailment could be deliberate human interference, a clear case of sabotage at the behest of terrorist outfits," they have said in the letter. The letter said some of the signatories have worked in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeast where they faced such situations of sabotage on the smooth plying on the railway network. "There were similar well-planned attempts by terrorists to disrupt railway networks in these ...

A hurtling mass of finality

Trains have long been a significant element in Indian cinema, symbolising urgency, escape and opportunity, and sometimes invoking a sense of inevitable finality

Jaipur Foot offers prosthetic limbs to victims of Odisha train accident

The makers of 'Jaipur foot' has offered to provide prosthetic limbs to those who have lost their legs in the recent Odisha train accident Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) founder D.R. Mehta, in a letter to the Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav, has offered to serve the amputee free of cost, a release said. In his letter, Mehta said the artificial limb fitment facility will be provided at its Khrodah centre near Bhubaneswar free of cost. All such passengers, who lost their limbs in the tragic rail accident, would be able to get the fitment three months after the amputation as it takes about months for the wounds to heal, he said. Alternatively, the BMVSS mobile workshop at Khodarh would reach the various towns and villages in Odisha to serve the amputees, thus they would be able to get the limb fitment at their doorsteps, he added.