Odisha train accident: 'Kavach' safety system unavailable on affected route
What's the story
The Kavach safety system developed by the Indian Railways to prevent train accidents was reportedly unavailable on the tracks in Odisha's Balasore, where three trains crashed on Friday night in one of India's worst train accidents. "The rescue operation has been completed. We are starting the restoration work. The Kavach system was not available on this route," stated Indian Railways Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma.
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All you need to know about Kavach
Kavach can be defined as an automatic train protection (ATP) system designed jointly by the Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) and three Indian firms. The ATP system can alert the train driver, control the train's brakes and bring it to an automatic halt upon detecting another train on the same track within a stipulated distance.
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Coromandel Express reportedly switched to wrong track minutes before crash
Friday's train accident in Balasore might be a result of a human error since the Coromandel Express changed to the wrong track minutes before the accident, according to Hindustan Times. Furthermore, this was allegedly revealed in a video from the signal control room of the railways' Kharagpur division. However, the actual reason behind the accident will only be confirmed after a thorough probe.
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Nearly 290 dead in India's worst train accident
Nearly 290 individuals died, and 900 others were reportedly injured after three trains collided on Friday night. "Around 7pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Balasore and fell on the opposite track," a railways spokesperson revealed. "After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches," added Sharma.
Twitter Post
Visuals of rescue work in Balasore
Rescue work continues in Balasore Odisha after the train accident killed 261 and injured almost 1000. pic.twitter.com/49J2thXfAD
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) June 3, 2023
Further information
One-day state mourning announced by Odisha CM amid tragedy
Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik announced one-day state mourning on Saturday after the incident. "Important Announcement: In view of tragic rail accident at Bahanaga, Hon'ble Chief Minister Sri Naveen Patnaik has ordered for State Mourning for a day. Hence no state celebration to take place on 3rd June throughout the state," declared Odisha's Information and Public Relations Department.
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PM Modi reaches Balasore to review situation
On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Balasore on Saturday and visited the site of the tragic train accident. Earlier, the PM chaired a high-level meeting of senior railway officials to take stock of the developments in Odisha. Notably, Modi was scheduled to flag off Goa's first Vande Bharat Express on Saturday; however, it was canceled after the tragic train accident.
Twitter Post
Visuals of Modi at Balasore train accident site
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the site of #BalasoreTrainAccident.#OdishaTrainTragedy pic.twitter.com/rlnQuM9ozS
— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023