Odisha train tragedy Highlights
Odisha train accident: School becomes morgue, next big challenge is identifying the dead
Less than a kilometre from the Odisha train accident site, benches lie haphazardly dumped outside Bahanaga high school. Inside, the classrooms, verandah and prayer hall are full of bodies, wrapped in white sheets – some plastic, some cloth. With temperatures in Balasore crossing 30°C, and the fans not working, the bodies have begun to decompose. In front of the main gate, workers are loading the dead so they can be moved from the school. While the initial plan was to shift the bodies to an industrial unit in Balasore which has air-conditioning, authorities decided against it in the evening. Chief secretary P K Jena said the unidentified bodies will be shifted to Bhubaneswar instead, and kept at morgues of medical colleges and private-run hospitals.
Also read:
- ‘Moved my son’s body with my own hands’: At Balasore’s overflowing health centres, scars run deep
- Overnight at the Odisha train accident site — 1,000 workers, heavy machinery
- Survivors from Kerala recount chaos, darkness inside crowded sleeper coach of Coromandel Express
The District Collector of Balasore Tuesday confirmed the death toll to be 288, after reconciliation of lists from district hospitals, mortuaries and reports from collectors of other districts, Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena told news agency ANI.
According to Jena, over 205 bodies have been identified and transferred, and the rest 83 bodies remain unidentified.
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Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, addressing the media on Tuesday said that DNA sampling of the claimants will be carried out, after over 100 bodies piled up in different hospitals awaiting identification, news agency ANI reported.
'We will be doing DNA sampling for the unidentified bodies. The State government is working with the aim to avoid causing any inconvenience to the affected families,' Jena told the reporters.
'The state government will be providing an ambulance for those who want to transfer bodies through the road. We will be bearing all costs for the transfer of bodies & we have arrangements for those transferring bodies via railways,' Jena added. (ANI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday visited a hospital in Paschim Medinipur to meet those injured in the Balasore train accident, news agency ANI reported.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday registered a case on request of the Ministry of Railways, consent of the Odisha government and further orders from the Department of Personnel and Training (Goverment of India) into the train accident involving Coromandel Express, Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express and a goods train at Bahanaga Bazar in the Odisha’s Balasore district, which has claimed 278 lives as of now.
The First Information Report (FIR) has been registered by the Balasore GRP, Odisha under IPC sections 337, 338, 304A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (common intention), and sections 153 (unlawful and negligent action endangering lives of Railway passengers), 154 and 175 (endangering lives) of the Railways Act.
A preliminary inquiry had earlier flagged tampering with the electronic interlocking system, and officials suspected "sabotage" behind the accident, which led the Ministry of Railways to call in for a CBI probe into the accident.
The Coromandel Express (12842) Tuesday passed through the Bahanaga Bazar railway station at around 12:45 PM, for the first time since triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore district. The train departed from Chennai for Shalimar.
(Express Video by Partha Paul)
A ten-member CBI team, arrived at Odisha's Balasore to probe the train accident. The officials inspected the tracks, signal room and talked to railway officials at Bahanaga Bazar station, PTI reported.
(Express Photos by Partha Paul)
A ten-member team of the CBI began their investigation into the train accident which has claimed 278 lives as of now. The officials inspected the tracks, signal room and talked to railway officials at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, news agency PTI reported.
A forensics team, accompanying the CBI officials, also spoke to signal room employees and sought information about the functioning of different equipment, the report said.
According to South Eastern Railway chief public relations officer Aditya Choudhury, "the CBI will probe all aspects. It is gathering information and the Railways will extend full cooperation." (PTI)
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who returned to Delhi from Balasore in Odisha after reviewing the rescue and restoration work following the triple train accident, is holding a series of high-level meetings with officials here.
He is scheduled to speak to general managers of all zonal railways later in the evening through video conferencing, sources said.
Sources said that the meeting focused on safety drills in zones with a special focus on signalling and telecom across the railway network.
The train accident in Balasore involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying over 2,500 passengers, and goods train laden with iron ore occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga
Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.
At least 278 people were killed and more than 900 were injured in the accident. (PTI)
With over 100 bodies from Balasore triple train accident pilling up in different hospitals here awaiting identification, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar has started DNA sampling of the claimants, an official said on Tuesday.
As many as 10 samples have so far been collected from the claimants, a senior official of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar said.
He said the bodies have now been shifted to the five containers where they can be preserved for longer period.
The official said there should be no hurry in disposing the bodies after DNA sampling as they can be preserved in container for six months.
Of the 278 dead persons, 177 bodies have been identified while another 101 need to be identified and handed over to their families.
AIIMS, Bhubaneswar had received 123 bodies of which around 64 have been identified.
A claimant from, Jharkhand on Tuesday alleged that they had on Monday identified body of Upendra Kumar Sharma, but it was handed over to someone other on Tuesday.
"What is the point of doing DNA sampling if the body has been handed over to someone other. We had identified Upendra from the tattoo mark on his body," the relative said.
However, Dr Pravas Tripathy, Deputy Superintendent of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, said that the bodies were being handed over after detail inquiry. It is a fact that more than one family have been claiming a single body and for that DNA sampling is being done.
Replying a question, he said that it may require at least 7 to 10 days to get DNA sampling report.
As the bodies were now being kept in container, there should be no problem in preserving the bodies, he said.
Most of the victims belonged to West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu besides Odisha.
Meanwhile, three agencies - CBI, Commissioner of Railway safety (CRS) and GRP, Balasore - have begun inquiry into the Balasore triple train crash in which at least 278 people were killed. (PTI)
Responding to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's allegations that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was behind the Odisha train tragedy which has claimed 278 lives till now, party MP Saugata Roy said, "We don't pay attention to what Suvendhu (Adhikari) says....We are not scared of CBI. In the past, Abhishek Banerjee answered all questions asked by the Enforcement Directorate of him."
Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was responsible for the train accident in Odisha, in which 278 deaths have been reported till now.
"This incident is TMC's conspiracy," he was quoted by news agency ANI as saying. "They are behind the incident".
"Why have they been panicking so much since yesterday when this incident is of another state? Why are they afraid of CBI investigation?" he asked.
The Congress on Tuesday slammed the government over the Railways seeking a CBI probe into the Odisha railway tragedy, and termed the move as headlines management.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced on Sunday evening that a CBI probe had been recommended into the accident.
Slamming the government, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Even before the Commissioner of Railway Safety has submitted his report on Balasore train disaster, a CBI inquiry is announced." This is nothing but headlines management having failed to meet deadlines, he said on Twitter.
Ramesh also raised the issue of the 2016 Kanpur rail accident in which 150 lives were lost, and noted that the NIA has is yet to come out with its report.
"Ab yeh Chronology yaad kijiye – 1. Nov 20, 2016: Indore-Patna Express derails near Kanpur. Over 150 people lose their lives. 2. Jan 23, 2017: Then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu writes to Union Home Minister asking for NIA probe into this accident.
"3. Feb 24, 2017: PM says Kanpur train accident is a conspiracy. 4. Oct 21, 2018: Newspapers report NIA will NOT file any chargesheet in the derailment. 5: June 6, 2023: Still no OFFICIAL news on NIA final report on Kanpur derailment. Zero accountability!" Ramesh said.
Ramesh's attack comes a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the probe agency is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents, and cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures.
The crash on Friday last involving two passenger trains and a goods train killed 275 people and injured more than 1,100, while the movement of goods and passenger trains on the busy route was also disrupted. (PTI)
A team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers arrived at Odisha’s Balasore, to begin their investigation into the train accident which has claimed 278 lives as of now. The Railway Board had recommended handing over the probe to the central agency on Sunday.
AS THE Railway Board recommended handing over the probe into the Odisha train accident to the CBI, at least six officers The Indian Express spoke with said the Coromandel Express took the loop line instead of the main line and collided with a goods train most likely because of “tampering of the location box” near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station.
The sequence of events leading to the crash and derailment of the train, officers said, was probably triggered by a malfunctioning level-crossing gate — its boom barrier was not working — before the station. In one version, the barrier remained raised, and in another, it did lower but the signal continued to be red. In both cases, it was a problem, they said.
Avishek G Dastidar reports
Railways put the official death toll in the Odisha triple train crash at 278, stating that three more people have succumbed to their injuries.
The state government's revised toll, however, remained unchanged at 275.
Khurda Road Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Rinkesh Ray said on Monday that apart from 278 deaths, 1,100 people were injured in the June 2 accident.
On the state government's toll remaining at 275, he said, "Figures do change with time." The toll was earlier put at 288, which the state government revised to 275 on Sunday, claiming some bodies were counted twice.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, also a former Railway Minister, questioned the figures, stating that 61 people from her state have died and 182 others are still missing.
Roy said of the 1,100 injured, less than 200 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.
He said that of the 278 bodies, 177 have been identified while 101 more are yet to be identified and these unclaimed bodies have been kept in six different hospitals.
Roy said the Railways has deployed people in states such as Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to locate any missing person.
He said the bodies will be preserved in a scientific manner. (PTI)
Rejecting a CBI probe into the Balasore train accident, Odisha units of 12 political parties, including Congress and Left parties, on Monday demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team and resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to pave way for an impartial inquiry.
The parties, including Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(ML) Red Star, All India Forward Bloc, Samajwadi Party, RJD, NCP, RPI, AAP and Samata Kranti Dal, held a joint meeting here and passed a resolution stating that they rejected a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), accusing the central agency of "working at the behest of the BJP".
They demanded that a court-monitored investigation by the central SIT be conducted into the case. However, the ruling BJD in Odisha welcomed the CBI probe and hoped that the "real culprit" behind the incident will be caught. (PTI)
NDRF jawan Venkatesan N K was on board the Coromandel Express, travelling to his hometown in Tamil Nadu, when he heard what sounded like a bomb going off and saw a child slipping from a mother’s grasp in the B-7 coach Friday evening.
That was the moment the Coromandel Express derailed.
Venkatesan was among the first responders. The 39-year-old jumped out and then turned around to rescue those trapped inside the coaches. He managed to pull out a few people and then decided to inform his senior who in turn alerted the NDRF brass. (Read More)
Insurance provider Liberty General Insurance on Monday said it has set up a dedicated 24/7 helpline facility to serve the families of the victims who lost their lives in the Balasore train accident that left at least 275 people dead and 1,100 injured.
Liberty General Insurance provides personal accident coverage to IRCTC train passengers. Families of the victims can call +91-9324968286 to avail the service, the company said.
A dedicated claims support email odishairctcclaims@libertyinsurance.in has also been set up to serve the policyholders, the statement added. (PTI)
"Last night the affected area was restored and since then, about 50-60 trains have passed through that area. Today, our focus was to reach out to the families of the affected passengers in Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand and elsewhere. And I request all the citizens, please contact all our helpline services to seek any assistance," said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Odisha government has announced two toll-free numbers – 18003450061/1929 – to help those looking for their missing relatives who were travelling in the ill-fated Coromandel Express on June 2.
Photographs of the deceased passengers have been uploaded on srcodisha.nic.in, bmc.gov.in and osdma.org for identification. (PTI)
The Odisha government will bear the transportation cost of bodies of the triple train accident victims to different states, Chief Secretary P K Jena said on Monday.
He said 170 bodies out of 275 have so far been identified in Balasore and Bhubaneswar.
Jena said, “Arrangements for free transportation of the bodies by hearses to various destinations will be done to help the bereaved families.” He added that death certificates will be provided at the earliest and will be sent electronically or through speed post to the families of the deceased. (PTI)
Britain's King Charles III on Monday sent a condolence message to President Droupadi Murmu, expressing his profound shock and sadness over the deadly train accident in Balasore, recalling his fond memories of a visit to Odisha 43 years ago.
“Both my wife [Queen Camilla] and I have been most profoundly shocked and saddened by the news of such a dreadful accident outside Balasore. I would like to express our deepest possible condolences to the families of all those who have so tragically lost their lives,” Charles was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.
“I do hope you know what a special place India and the people of India have in our hearts. I have particularly fond memories of visiting Odisha in 1980 and meeting some of its people on that occasion," it said. "I pray, therefore, that you may be able to convey our most heartfelt prayers and sympathy to all those who have been affected by this appalling tragedy, together with our special thoughts for the people of Odisha,” the King concludes. (PTI)
? A special train from Bhadrak arrived in Chennai on Monday with 17 more survivors of the Odisha train accident and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said a clarity would emerge in a day or two on the status of six Tamil Nadu passengers.
? A Southern Railway spokesperson said 17 passengers arrived by the special train and authorities made necessary arrangements to cater to their requirements.
? Speaking to reporters, Udhayanidhi said authorities have directly spoken to two passengers from the State and they were safe.
? Co-passengers of six others have said that they were safe and the coaches of these six persons were among the unaffected, he said. (PTI)
The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on Monday recorded the statements of injured engine driver Gunanidhi Mohanty and his assistant Hajari Behera, who are undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, officials said.
“Both the drivers are stable. While Mohanty was taken out of the ICU on Monday, Behera is awaiting a head surgery,” South Eastern Railway (SER) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Aditya Choudhury told PTI.
Families of both the drivers have appealed to all for privacy and allow them to recover physically and mentally. They claimed that the drivers could not be blamed for the mishap as they operated the locomotive according to rules. Earlier, the Railway Ministry had apparently given clean chit to both of them. (PTI)
“Till normalcy returns in the train movement from Bhubaneswar, Puri & Cuttack railway stations for the stranded passengers free bus services will be available to Kolkata,” informed Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena
"During 26/11 attacks,it took the SPG 10 hours to reach Mumbai....First, our PM visited Balasore train accident site, 3 Union mins were there too. Within 51 hrs of accident,railway lines were restored," said Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Congress demanding Railways minister's resignation.
? West Bengal Chief Minister on Monday announced state government jobs for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore.
? The West Bengal CM said that relatives of those who lost their limbs in the horrific crash will also be given government jobs.
? Banerjee added that her government will also give cash aid to those who were on board the Coromandel Express and are currently going through mental and physical trauma.
? She will visit Bhubanewsar and Cuttack on Tuesday to meet the injured passengers recuperating in different hospitals. (PTI)
Reacting to the Railway Board's decision to seek a CBI inquiry into Odisha train accident, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, "I don't have any comments about them. So far I know that 120 unidentified bodies are lying in the hospital. There are so many injured victims, let them recover fast. I also gave Jnaneswari Express (train derailment case) to the CBI. Twelve years are over and there is no result. CBI is involved on criminal things but this is an accident case."
"A railway safety commission is there. They used to do the investigation fast. We want people to know the truth.It is not the time to suppress the truth," she said.
Over 270 men, women and children have died as a result of a tri-train collision near Balasore in Odisha. As often happens after such tragedies, officials from the Railways and political leaders descended on the scene of the devastation and expressed shock, and spoke of sharing the grief. Commissions of enquiry and compensation to the families of the deceased were announced; treatment and relief to the injured were assured. But the people rightly expect much more than this. They have the right to demand safe travel from the government. But under the Modi government, that right has become difficult to guarantee. (Read More)
? The National Disaster Response Force on Monday ended its rescue operation with the withdrawal of all its nine teams from the triple train accident site in Odisha's Balasore district that has claimed at least 275 lives, officials said.
? The force rescued 44 victims and retrieved 121 bodies from the spot since the teams were deployed after the accident on June 2, they said.
? The nine teams had joined the personnel of state disaster forces and the local administration to undertake rescue and relief operations after they were sent in from Balasore, Mundali (Cuttack district) and Kolkata. (PTI)
The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) received two distress calls thus far pertaining to the Odisha train crash, out of which the whereabouts of one person were traced while police are on the lookout for another, said Managing Director B R Ambedkar on Monday. There were two calls in search of a person from Kadapa and the other one from Khammam, he said.
"The person (Syed Abdul Bhasa) from Kadapa is safe and we have already informed their family members. He is already in Hyderabad in his own house," Ambedkar told PTI on Monday.
The second call from Khammam in neighbouring Telangana state enquired about Ambati Ramulu (55), who used to work as a watchman at Chaitanya apartments in Vijayawada. According to Ambedkar, Ramulu's daughter complained that her father, who told her that he would visit a Goddess as he was not feeling well mentally, was missing.
However, it is not clear to which temple the Khammam native set off, including if he had even boarded any of those two trains, Coromandel Express or SMVT-Howrah Express, which crashed at Bahanaga Bazar in Odisha recently where at least 275 people died and over a 1,000 are injured. (PTI)
A day after Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Railway Board had decided to seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Odisha train accident, in which 275 people were killed and over 1,000 injured, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying law enforcement agencies cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures.
“The CBI is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents. The CBI, or any other law enforcement agency, cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures. In addition, they lack the technical expertise in railway safety, signalling, and maintenance practices,” Kharge said in his four-page letter. (Read More)
Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday (June 4) evening that a change in the “configuration” of the track had led to the Coromandel Express smashing into the stationary goods train from behind, triggering the three-way train accident in Odisha in which 275 people have died so far.
In the interview to Doordarshan, the Minister said: “Whoever has done this, has done such a change — on the point machine, the configuration of the track — based on which everything runs… There has been a change in that configuration, because of which this painful accident has happened. But I will comment on that only after the report of the independent agency is submitted.” (Read More)
“It is beyond my understanding why this matter has been given to the CBI. Either they (government) explicitly say that there was sabotage, which they haven’t done yet,” says former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal on Railway Board's recommendation of CBI probe into the Odisha train tragedy.
Commissioner of Railway Safety(SE Circle) Shailesh Kumar Pathak launched the inquiry and visited the accident site at Bahanaga Station Bazar Station.
He also inspected the control room, signal room spoke to the station manager and also saw the interlinking system which reportedly led the Coromandel Express to enter the loop line leading to a devastating crash on June 2.
"We have just started the inquiry. It will take time. The exact cause of the accident will be ascertained after the inquiry is over," Pathak told reporters at the accident site. (PTI)
The first high-speed passenger train - Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express - after the triple train crash, passed through Balasore on Monday morning on restored tracks as the Commissioner of Railwy Safety began its inquiry into the June 2 accident in which at least 275 people were killed, officials said.
Vande Bharat Express crossed the Bahanaga Bazar Station around 9.30 am on Monday, they said adding that the tracks are now fit to operate trains in both the up and down lines.
Two other passenger trains like Howrah-Puri Express and Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Sampark Kranti Express also passed through the up and down line respectively early on Monday. (PTI)
The Indian Railways has ordered a week-long countrywide safety drive on signalling, with special emphasis on the existing “double locking” arrangement of its signalling apparatus at stations. The drive will also ensure that the system of generating SMS alerts, whenever the signalling relay rooms at stations are opened and locked, is working fine.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday said that when he was the Railways Minister in 1999, a train accident took place in Gaisal, West Bengal, following which he resigned immediately, claiming responsibility.
"Earlier the Railway budget was presented separately but this new government has abolished the separate Railway budget," he said.
"I will not comment if Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw should resign or not," Nitish added.
Three days after the Balasore train accident which claimed 275 lives, a private goods train derailed in Odisha’s Bargarh. No casualties were reported. In a statement, the East Coast Railway said that the Railways has no role to play in the incident.” “This is completely a narrow gauge siding of a private cement company. All the infrastructure including rolling stock, like; engine, wagons, train track (narrow gauge) are being maintained by the company, only,” ECoR said.
Vande Bharat Express crossed the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha, following restoration work on the tracks affected by Friday's train crash which claimed 275 lives and left over 1,000 people injured.
The movement of trains resumed on Sunday night, with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeing off the first train to cross the affected section.
After carrying out rescue operations since Friday night, the Odisha government faces another challenging task: identifying the bodies of those who died.
While the state government on Sunday revised the toll downwards from 288 to 275, Chief Secretary P K Jena said 108 bodies have been identified so far, and will be handed over to their relatives after due procedures.
For those who are still searching for their loved ones, the state government has posted lists and photographs of the dead as well as the injured undergoing treatment at various hospitals, on three websites to facilitate identification. It has also set up a toll-free helpline and a control centre in Bhubaneswar.
Read more
A schoolboy who helped the injured contact their families as his mother provided first-aid; a pharmacy store owner who administered free tetanus injections; a group of villagers who hand-stitched empty cement bags to make ‘stretchers’ to carry the injured; a retired government employee who took care of about 50 children through the night; a grocery store owner who supplied free food and water.
These were among the first responders from Bahanaga town and Kamarpur village in Odisha’s Balasore district, when the collision involving the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, the SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Express and a goods train took place near Bahanaga Bazar station around 7 pm on Friday.
Read more here
Take a look at our profile of Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from 2021, when he had just been allotted the portfolio.
"Since the 50-year-old was inducted though as a Minister with the heavyweight portfolios of Railways, Communications and Electronics, and Information Technology —filling the big shoes of Ravi Shankar Prasad and Piyush Goyal — everyone has an Ashwini Vaishnaw story.
About his technical expertise, given his IIT and Wharton School lineage. About his bureaucratic finesse, given his handling of the 1999 Super Cyclone in Odisha. About his corporate mind, given the firms he founded. About his broad acceptability, given that the BJD helped the BJP get him to the Rajya Sabha. And, even about his “proximity” to the top BJP leadership, given his ties with Gujarat."
Read more here
At the police help desk outside the AIIMS mortuary in Bhubaneswar, a group of people frantically scours a clutch of photographs, looking for a familiar face among the dead. Some find their kin. Others brace for a longer wait.
Two days after the train tragedy in Balasore, a slow, grinding search for the bodies of loved ones continues across morgues at AIIMS and elsewhere.
Though the toll was initially put at 288, the Odisha government Sunday revised it downwards to 275. Many of those killed were from West Bengal and Bihar, headed towards southern cities for their livelihood.
At AIIMS, volunteers and local officials field anxious questions from those who found their relatives’ bodies: Would the state government provide free ambulances? What documents would they need? Was any ex-gratia assistance available?
Sujit Bisoyi reports
At around 10.40 pm on Sunday — around 50 hours after the horrific crash that killed 275 people — trains began moving through the Balasore accident spot again.
The first goods train to cross the section was seen off by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the presence of scores of mediapersons and railway officials. The train carrying coal was headed towards Rourkela Steel plant from Vizag port and ran on the same track where the Bangalore-Howrah train met with the accident.
Ravik Bhattacharya reports
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