Balasore train accident news: Railways recommends CBI probe; Mamata slams Centre; what we know so far

Balasore train accident news: The Railway Board has recommended a CBI probe into the Balasore train accident that has so far claimed 275 lives. "We have recommended a CBI probe into the triple train accident that claimed 275 lives and left over 1,000 injured," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening.

Railway Board recommends CBI probe into Odisha train accident: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/WUyW7a6t6H#AshwiniVaishnaw #OdishaTrainAccident #CBI #RailwayBoard #BalasoreTrainAccident pic.twitter.com/IAkK6moqH5

— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) June 4, 2023

The Centre along with the support of the state government are giving all support to the injured patients who are admitted to various hospitals in Balasore, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar.

"Patients are being given all facilities in hospitals. There are teams of doctors who are taking care of patients round-the-clock," Vaishnaw said.

He said the government was trying to get in touch with the families of the deceased.

"We are trying to get in touch with families of the dead," the minister added.

Here is what we know so far:

Both tracks in Balasore repaired: Railway minister

"Track linking of Up-line has been done at 16.45 hours. Overhead electrification work started," Vaishnaw tweeted on Sunday.

Track linking of Up-line has been done at 16:45 hrs.
Overhead electrification work started.

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 4, 2023

Down main line made fit at 12:05 hrs today.

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 4, 2023

He had earlier tweeted that the down line which links Howrah has been restored.

Officials said this implies that at least one set of railway tracks were now fit for trains, but more time will be required to fix all tracks, which include loop lines, at the Balasore accident site.

However, till the overhead electric cable are repaired, only diesel locomotives can be run on the two line which have been repaired.

Bhadrak, Odisha | A special train has started its journey from Bhadrak to Bhubaneswar carrying the distressed passengers of the Odisha train accident. The train is only for distressed passengers...From Bhubaneswar the passengers will have to change the train: Station Manager… pic.twitter.com/Cpl8bzuwYa

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2023

Once the overhead electric lines are repaired, electric trains can start plying. They indicated that this would take another three days.

Probe completed, says Railway minister

The investigation into the tragic train accident in the Balasore area of Odisha is completed, and the underlying cause has been found, said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday.

He said the issue is of point machine and electronic interlocking. The change that was done to electronic interlocking which led to the accident has been identified, Vaishnaw said while denying that the incident had anything to do with the anti-collision system "Kavach". 

"The root cause of the horrifying incident has been identified... I do not want to go into details. Let the report come out. I will just say that the root cause and the people responsible have been identified," the railway minister said. 

Bhadrak, Odisha | A special train has started its journey from Bhadrak to Bhubaneswar carrying the distressed passengers of the Odisha train accident. The train is only for distressed passengers...From Bhubaneswar the passengers will have to change the train: Station Manager… pic.twitter.com/Cpl8bzuwYa

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2023

He also said the kin of around 300 accident victims have been provided compensation. "We met the patients and doctors at Soro Hospital. Special trains are being run from Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ranchi, Kolkata and other places so that patients can reach homes after treatment." 

The affected tracks will be restored for normal services by Wednesday.

Mamata slams Centre

Benagl chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the central government, blaming it for the manipulation of number of deaths in the train accident. Speaking in a press conference today, the chief minister put the updated death figure of persons from her state at 62.

"A total of 182 bodies are yet to be identified. We have circulated the photos in all the districts. The death count from the state might increase after the identification process is over," she told newspersons.

She expressed doubts if the names of those travelling in unreserved compartments are readily available with the Railways.

"That list is yet to reach the state government. So in due course the casualty figure from Bengal might rise," she said.

List of injured, deceased passengers put on websites

To facilitate smooth identification of victims of the Balasore train mishap, the Odisha government has uploaded the details of passengers on three websites.

Lists of passengers undergoing treatment in different hospitals have been uploaded on the websites: https://srcodisha.nic.in/, https://www.bmc.gov.in, and https://www.osdma.org.

Lists and photographs of deceased passengers were also uploaded on the above websites to facilitate identification.

Pope Francis condoles loss of lives

Pope Francis today (June 4) condoled the loss of lives in the Balasore train accident and expressed his closeness to the injured and their families.

"My prayer go to the many victims of the train accident that occurred two days ago (June 2) in India. I express my closeness to the injured and their families. May the Heavenly Father welcome the souls of the deceased into his kingdom," Reuters quoted Pope Francis as saying. 

Pope Francis condoles the loss of life in the #BalasoreTrainAccident

"My prayer go to the many victims of the train accident that occurred two days ago (June 2) in India. I express my closeness to the injured and their families. May the Heavenly Father welcome the souls of the… pic.twitter.com/DASj1HAlsv

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2023

Death toll 275, not 288: Odisha chief secretary

Odisha's chief secretary Pradeep Jena said that the actual death count of the train accident is 275, and not 288. He said that the data was checked by DM and it was found that some bodies have been counted twice, so the death toll has been revised to 275. Out of 275, 88 bodies have been identified.

#WATCH | The death toll is 275 & not 288. The data was checked by DM and it was found that some bodies have been counted twice, so the death toll has been revised to 275. Out of 275, 88 bodies have been identified: Odisha Chief Secy Pradeep Jena, on #OdishaTrainAccident pic.twitter.com/fuPSSmNxag

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2023

Odisha train accident: Teams working round the clock to restore tracks

Work on repairing tracks and overhead electric cables which had snapped is also going on, said officials. Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan who have camped here visited the railway accident site in the early hours of the morning.

"Restoration work is going on at a fast pace," said Vaishnaw.

Pradhan added that "rescue work is over, we are working with the local administration to send people affected back home."

He also said that the big challenge is to restore tracks so that the railway link between two important wings of the country can start functioning.

CM Patnaik announces ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to kin of dead, Rs 1 lakh for injured

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today, June 4, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the people who got serious injuries in the train accident in Balasore from CM's Relief Fund.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday visited the train accident site in Odisha's Balasore, in which over 288 people were killed and more than 1,000 got injured, involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train.

#WATCH | "It's a painful incident. Govt will leave no stone unturned for the treatment of those injured. It's a serious incident, instructions issued for probe from every angle. Those found guilty will be punished stringently. Railway is working towards track restoration. I met… pic.twitter.com/ZhyjxXrYkw

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023

This train accident is one of the deadliest accidents since independence, data shows. 

#WATCH | Aerial visuals from ANI’s drone camera show the extent of damage at the spot of the #BalasoreTrainAccident in Odisha. pic.twitter.com/8rf5E6qbQV

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023

Prime Minister Modi visited the site: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (June 3) visited the accident site, where took stock of situation along with Union Ministers- Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan. Modi said that stringent action will be taken against anyone found guilty for the accident. "Stringent action would be taken against those found guilty in the train accident incident. No one will be spared," Modi said. Later, he visited Balasore Hospital, where he met victims of the accident. The PM said, "We will give the best possible treatment to those injured in this tragedy."  

Death toll rises to 288: An Indian Railways confirmed the killing of 288 people and injuries to more than 1,000 people at the Balasore train accident. "A total of 288 people were killed in the accident, while 1,175 people were admitted to hospitals, including private establishments. Of them, 793 were discharged while 382 are undergoing treatment and barring two who are critical, the condition of the remaining is stated to be stable," he said. Restoration work is underway at the site of the accident while wreckage and mangled coaches of derailed trains are also being moved away from the track.

#OdishaTrainMishap | 288 dead bodies recovered while more than 1000 injured people have been admitted to different hospitals. Efforts are underway to clear the leftover wreckage of derailed trains from the track. Restoration work will continue throughout the night though weather… pic.twitter.com/yD84n5gGDi

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023

Rescue operation almost complete: Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena said in Bhubaneswar today that the rescue operation at the accident site is almost complete. "The operation of the last bogie has started. So far the death toll has been around 288. The injured are undergoing treatment," he said.   

#WATCH | The rescue operation is almost complete. The operation of the last bogie has started. So far the death toll has been around 288. The injured are undergoing treatment: Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, Bhubaneswar #OdishaTrainAccident pic.twitter.com/OvlVMPvAs3

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023

MoCA's strict stand on abnormal surge in airfares 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has asked airlines to monitor and take necessary action in case of any abnormal surge in airfares to and from Bhubaneswar, in view of the train accident in the state. Apart from it, the ministry also said the cancellation and rescheduling of any flight due to the incident may be done without penal charges.

"In view of the unfortunate accident in Odisha, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised all airlines to monitor any abnormal surge in airfares to and from Bhubaneswar and other airports of the State and take necessary action regarding the same," it said in a statement.

#OdishaTrainAccident | All airlines are advised to extend full support to facilitate bringing the remains of the deceased back to the states where they used to live: Ministry of Civil Aviation

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023

Railway Minister rushed to the site: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday visited the train accident site in Odisha's Balasore and said the main focus now is rescue and relief operations. He said the Commissioner of Railway Safety, South East Circle will inquire into the Odisha train accident. He also added that the cause of the train accident in Odisha will be known after the probe.

Railway Minister declared Rs 10 lakh compensation for the deceased: Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted, "Ex-gratia compensation to the victims of this unfortunate train accident in Odisha; Rs10 Lakh in case of death, Rs 2 Lakh towards grievous and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries."

Ex-gratia compensation to the victims of this unfortunate train accident in Odisha;
₹10 Lakh in case of death,
₹2 Lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 2, 2023

Opposition demands railway minister's resignation: The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal on Friday demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation over the horrific triple train crash in neighboring Odisha. Other opposition parties have raised questions about the signaling system of the railways which purportedly led to the crash.

CM Patnaik declares one-day state mourning:  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared one-day state mourning on Saturday. "Important Announcement: Given the tragic rail accident at Bahanaga, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Sri Naveen Patnaik has ordered State Mourning for a day. Hence no State celebration to take place on 3rd June throughout the State," the Information & Public Relations Department of the Odisha government tweeted.

(With inputs from PTI)

Also Read: Coromandel Express Train Accident: Odisha train crash one of deadliest in Indian Railways' history

Also Read: Balasore Train Accident: Andhra Pradesh CM dispatches team to assist relief and rescue operations