Page 7 - Train Accident

Thailand train collision with pickup truck kills 8 people and injures 4

Eight people were killed when a freight train struck a pickup truck crossing the tracks in an eastern province of Thailand early Friday morning, authorities said. The accident at 2:20 am also injured four people in the Muang district of Chachoengsao province, according to the State Railway of Thailand. The 54-year-old driver, Wichai Yulek, told authorities he saw the approaching train and heard a warning horn. He slowed, but passengers in the vehicle urged him to keep going. When he realized the truck was headed for a collision, he could not stop in time, the railway agency said. The deceased include an 18 year old, two people in their 20s and five people over 55, while the injured victims included four men in their 20s, the railway said.

Odisha train accident: 3 accused railway officials sent to judicial custody

A special court here has sent the three accused railway officials in the Balasore train disaster to judicial custody, after the end of their CBI remand period. Senior Section Engineer (Signal) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Mohammed Amir Khan and Technician Pappu Kumar, who have been placed under suspension by the Railways, were produced before the CBI Special Court on Friday after their remand period ended. The accused were arrested by the CBI on July 7. The special court had granted five-day remand of the accused to the CBI, which is investigating the case, on July 7. Later, on July 11, the court had extended the remand period for four more days at the request of the investigating agency. The next date of hearing is on July 27. The three accused have been booked under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence), and under Section 153 of the Railways Act. While the CBI is yet to submit its report on the case, the inquiry r

CBI arrests three railway officials in Balasore train accident case

Zonal officials charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, disappearance of evidence

Balasore accident: CBI makes first arrests, three railway staff held

The CBI on Friday took into custody three railway personnel in connection with the June 2 Balasore train accident, making its first arrests in the case, officials said. The agency arrested Senior Section Engineer (signal) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Mohammed Amir Khan and Technician Pappu Kumar, all posted in Balasore district, the officials said. The three have been arrested under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence), they said. The accident took place near the Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district of Odisha in which 293 people were killed -- 287 on the spot or brought dead to hospital while six succumbed to injuries in hospitals. The accident involved three trains: the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a stationary goods train.

Staff alertness could have averted Odisha triple train accident: Probe

While the official responsibility by the CRS has been pinned on the signalling staff, the probe also found several systemic issues, which, if corrected in time, could have averted the accident

'Lapses at multiple levels': What led to Balasore train accident on June 2?

The report by CRS has put the primary responsibility for the mishap on the signalling department

13 more bodies of Balasore accident kept at AIIMS handed over to families

At least 13 more bodies of the June 2 Balasore train accident kept at AIIMS Bhubaneswar were handed over to their family members on Saturday, official sources said. Of the 29 bodies identified using DNA sampling, six were handed over to their families on Friday and 13 on Saturday, a railway official said. On the basis of DNA test results and with coordination with AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and GRP, 13 bodies of the Bahanaga train accident victims have been handed over to the kin of the deceased on Saturday, the railway official said. Of the 13 bodies, four have been sent to Bihar, eight to West Bengal and one to Jharkhand, he said. An ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each have been paid to the kin of the family members as announced by the railways, the official said. Stating that the process of handing over of the bodies will continue till claimants come, the official said as many as 62 bodies still remain unidentified and preserved in the containers

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