Minutes before the disaster, Coromandel Express was on the wrong track, according to officials
The Coromandel express train running at a speed of 127 km/per hour collided with a goods train and derailed on the main line, an official said
The Coromandel Express train accident in Balasore district of Odisha, in which close to 300 persons have died, may have been the result of human error since the train took the wrong track minutes before the tragedy, according to initial reports from the signalling control room of the railways.To be sure, the cause of the accident will only be identified after a thorough examination
On Friday at around 6.55 p.m., the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express derailed on the main line and struck the goods train parked on the loop line, according to a video from the signalling control room of the Kharagpur division of the Railways. An official from the railway ministry reported that the Coromandel Express, which was travelling at a speed of roughly 127 km/h, collided with the cargo train and derailed on the main line. The official stated above said that the Coromandel Express was struck by the Howrah-bound Yashwantnagar Express minutes after the collision.
The thorough investigation that the railway board has mandated will reveal how and why it occurred. However, it appears at first glance to be a human error, the official who requested anonymity added.
The same officer claimed that a similar incident with three trains colliding took place in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, in 1995. In that accident, 350 people were killed, and rescue efforts lasted three days.