India’s federal crime agency said Friday (July 07, 2023) it has arrested three railway officials in connection with one of the country’s deadliest train accidents, which killed more than 290 people last month. The arrested men have been charged with culpable homicide without murder and destruction of evidence, the Central Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. It identified them as two signal engineers and one technician, and said the investigation is ongoing. Error in signaling system led to train crash that killed 275 people in India, official says June’s train crash in eastern Odisha state occurred when a packed passenger train was mistakenly diverted onto an adjacent loop line where it rammed into a stationary freight train loaded with iron ore. The collision derailed the passenger train’s coaches onto another track where they struck a passing train that was running in the opposite direction. The two passenger trains were carrying more than 2,290 people when the collision took place. Nearly 1,000 people were injured. India’s deadly train crash renews questions over safety as government pushes railway upgrade After the accident, India’s Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the cause of the crash was related to the signaling system. India, a country of 1.42 billion people, has one of the world’s most extensive and complicated railways built during the British colonial era: more than 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) of tracks, 14,000 passenger trains and 8,000 stations. Spread across the country from the Himalayas in the north to the beaches in the south, it is also a system that is weakened by decades of mismanagement and neglect. Despite efforts to improve safety, several hundred accidents happen every year, and most such crashes are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment. Indian officials end rescue work for 2 wrecked passenger trains that killed over 300 people The June crash was India’s deadliest since 1995, when two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people. In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.

The derailment in eastern India that killed 275 people and injured hundreds was caused by an error in the electronic signaling system that led a train to wrongly change tracks and crash into a freight train, officials said Sunday. Authorities worked to clear the mangled wreckage of the two passenger trains that derailed Friday night in Balasore district in Odisha state in one of the country’s deadliest rail disasters in decades. An Odisha government statement revised the death toll to 275 after a top state officer put the number at over 300 on Sunday morning. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Jaya Verma Sinha, a senior railway official, said the preliminary investigations revealed that a signal was given to the high-speed Coromandel Express to run on the main track line, but the signal later changed, and the train instead entered an adjacent loop line where it rammed into a freight loaded with iron ore. Read: India’s deadly train crash renews questions over safety as government pushes railway upgrade The collision flipped Coromandel Express’s coaches onto another track, causing the incoming Yesvantpur-Howrah Express from the opposite side also to derail, she said. The passenger trains, carrying 2,296 people, were not overspeeding, she said. Trains that carry goods are often parked on an adjacent loop line so the main line is clear for a passing train. Verma said the root cause of the crash was related to an error in the electronic signaling system. She said a detailed investigation will reveal whether the error was human or technical. The electronic interlocking system is a safety mechanism designed to prevent conflicting movements between trains. It also monitors the status of signals that tell drivers how close they are to a next train, how fast they can go and the presence of stationary trains on the track. Read more: No more survivors found after India train crash kills over 280, injures 900; Modi heads to site “The system is 99.9% error free. But 0.1% chances are always there for an error,” Verma said. To a question whether the crash could be a case of sabotage, she said “nothing is ruled out.” On Sunday, a few shattered carriages, mangled and overturned, were the only remnants of the tragedy. Railway workers toiled under the sun’s glare to lay down blocks of cement to fix the broken tracks. A crew with excavators was removing mud and the debris to clear the crash site. At one of the hospitals nearly 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the site, survivors spoke of the horror of the moment of the crash. Pantry worker Inder Mahato could not remember the exact sequence of events, but said he heard a loud bang when the Coromandel Express crashed into the freight. The impact caused Mahato, who was in the bathroom, to briefly lose consciousness. Read: India train crash: some Bangladeshis suffered minor injuries, says deputy high commission Moments later when he opened his eyes, he saw through the door that was forced open people writhing in pain, many of them already dead. Others were frantically trying to get out from the twisted wreckage of his rail car. For hours, Mahato, 37, remained stuck in the train’s bathroom, before rescuers scaled up the wreckage and pulled him out. “God saved me,” he said, lying on the hospital bed while recuperating from a hairline fracture in his sternum. “I am very lucky I am alive.” Mahato’s friends weren’t so lucky. Four of them died in the crash, he said. Meanwhile, many desperate relatives were struggling to identify the bodies of their loved ones because of the gruesomeness of the injuries. Few others were searching hospitals to check whether their relatives were alive. Read: Indian railways minister says signaling system error led to crash that killed over 300 people In the same hospital where Mahato was recovering from his injuries, Bulti Khatun roamed outside the premises in a dazed state, holding an identity card of her husband who was onboard the Coromandel Express and traveling to southern Chennai city. Khatun said she visited the morgue and other hospitals to look for him, but was unable to find him. “I am so helpless,” she said, sobbing. Fifteen bodies were recovered on Saturday evening and efforts continued overnight with heavy cranes being used to remove an engine that settled on top of a rail car. No bodies were found in the engine and the work was completed on Sunday morning, said Sudhanshu Sarangi, director-general of fire and emergency services in Odisha. Read more: India train accident: 2 Bangladeshis receiving treatment in hospital, says deputy high commissioner The crash occurred at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focusing on the modernization of the British colonial-era railroad network in India, which has become the world’s most populous country with 1.42 billion people. Despite government efforts to improve safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world. Modi visited the crash site on Saturday and talked to rescue officials. He also visited a hospital to inquire about the injured, and spoke to some of them. Modi told reporters he felt the pain of the crash victims. He said the government would do its utmost to help them and strictly punish anyone found responsible. In 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst rail accidents in India. In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people. Most such accidents in India are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment. Read more: Indian officials end rescue work for 2 wrecked passenger trains that killed over 300 people About 22 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.

With rescue work finished, authorities began clearing the mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 300 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail accidents in decades, officials said Sunday (June 4, 2023). Investigators are looking into possible causes behind Friday (June 2, 2023) night’s crash in Balasore district of eastern Odisha state, including whether human error or signal failure played a role. Fifteen bodies were recovered on Saturday evening and efforts continued overnight as heavy cranes were used to remove an engine that had settled on top of a rail car. No bodies were found in the engine and the work was completed on Sunday morning, said Sudhanshu Sarangi, director-general of fire and emergency services in Odisha. Read more: India train accident: 2 Bangladeshis receiving treatment in hospital, says deputy high commissioner

Two Bangladeshis were hospitalized with injuries following Friday’s (June 2, 2023) train crash in India, Andalib Elias, deputy high commissioner at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, said. “We do not have any information about any deceased Bangladeshis; what we know so far is two Bangladeshi injured passengers are currently undergoing treatment in two hospitals in Odisha,” he said in a video message. Also read: India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in country's deadliest rail accident in decades “Also families of four train passengers contacted us from Bangladesh and said they (the four Bangladeshis) are still missing. We are trying to trace them and already a team from the Kolkata deputy high commission went to the accident site this morning. Hopefully after reaching there they will coordinate with the injured Bangladeshis there,” he added. The mission provided an emergency Whatsapp number: +919038353533 for further assistance. Aslo read: Train accident in Odisha: Hotline opened for query about Bangladeshis Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, AP reported. Also read: India train crash: some Bangladeshis suffered minor injuries, says deputy high commission

A hotline has been opened to provide information or query about Bangladeshis following the horrific train crash in India’s Odisha.Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Kolkata issued a press release in this regard soon after the accident.It also expressed profound condolences to the families of victims of the tragic Coromandel Express accident, and wished early recovery of the injured.For further query it asked to contact +919038353533 (WhatsApp). Also read: India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in country's deadliest rail accident in decades At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha's fire department, told The Associated Press. He said more than 800 injured passengers were taken to various hospitals with many in critical condition.The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata on Friday night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state's top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.Read more: India train crash: some Bangladeshis suffered minor injuries, says deputy high commission

Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people on Saturday (June 3, 2023) after two passenger trains derailed in India, killing more than 280 people. Hundreds of others were trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars overnight in one of the country's deadliest train crashes in decades. The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata on Friday (June 2, 2023) night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors. About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state's top administrative official. The cause was under investigation. At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha's fire department, told The Associated Press. He said more than 800 injured passengers were taken to various hospitals with many in critical condition. Also Read: India train crash death toll rises above 230 with 900 injured as rescuers comb through debris Rescuers were cutting through the destroyed rail cars to find people who may still be trapped. Sarangi said it was possible that people were stuck underneath but that it was unlikely they would still be alive. "By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies," he said. "This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career." Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, causing up to three coaches of the second train to also derail, he added. A third train carrying freight was also involved, the Press Trust of India reported, but there was no immediate confirmation of that from railroad authorities. PTI said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train. Read more: India train crash: Few Bangladeshis suffered minor injuries, says deputy high commission The death toll rose steadily throughout the night as footage showed shattered carriages that had overturned completely. Scores of dead bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the train tracks as locals and rescuers raced to help survivors. Teams of rescuers and police continued sifting through the ruins on Saturday morning as the search operation carried on, amid fears that the death toll is likely to rise further. Scores of people also showed up at a local hospital to donate blood. Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night at the accident site. Saturday was declared as a day of mourning in Odisha as the state's chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, reached the district to meet injured passengers. Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks. Read more: Railway suspends 3 employees over Cumilla train collision, salvage work continues "The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water," PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying. Passenger Vandana Kaleda said that inside the train during the derailment people were "falling on each other" as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks. "As I stepped out of the washroom, suddenly the train tilted. I lost my balance. ... Everything went topsy turvy. People started falling on each other and I was shocked and could not understand what happened. My mind stopped working," she said, adding she felt lucky to survive. Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces. Read more: Train accident in Odisha: Hotline opened for query about Bangladeshis The derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state, PTI said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were with the bereaved families. "May the injured recover soon," tweeted Modi, who said he had spoken to the railway minister and that "all possible assistance" was being offered. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India's railways, the largest train network under one management in the world. Read more: A look at deadly train crashes in India in recent decades In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India. In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people. Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment. More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track. Read more: India sees huge potential for cooperation with Bangladesh Railway

People of 27 upazilas across nine coastal districts of Bangladesh were hit by a three to six feet storm surge caused by Cyclone Yaas Wednesday. State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman said this at a media briefing in Dhaka. Yaas moved inland into India's Odisha from the Bay of Bengal in the morning, but Bangladesh remained largely unscathed. However, people in districts such as Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Noakhali and Laxmipur have been affected by the high tide, Enamur said. At least two deaths were reported in Bangladesh and thousands of people in 200 villages were marooned as their homes, shops and farms were flooded by tidal surges. The "very severe cyclonic storm" packed sustained winds of 130-140 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 155 kph when it made landfall, the India Meteorological Department said. Also read: Cyclone Yaas: 2 deaths reported in Bangladesh, 5 in India The affected upazilas include Shyamnagar, Asashuni, Koyra, Dakop, Paikgachha, Sharankhola, Mongla, Morelganj, Mathbaria, Barguna Sadar, Patharghata, Amtali, Patuakhali Sadar, Galachipa, Rangabali, Dashmina, Mirzaganj, Kolapara, Charfashion, Monpura, Tajumuddin, Dawlatkhan, Borhanuddin, Bhola Sadar, Hatia, Ramgati and Kamalnagar, Enamur informed. The government rushed 16,500 packets of dry food to the affected residents of these areas, he said.

At least two deaths were reported Wednesday in Bangladesh and five in India  as Cyclone Yaas triggered storms and floods. Reports sent by UNB correspondents indicate that dozens of houses have been damaged and low-lying areas inundated, cutting off road communication in some areas. In Bhola, a man was killed after being hit by a falling tree branch during a storm triggered by Yaas in Lalmohan upazila of Bhola on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Abu Taher, 48, a local farmer. Bhola Deputy Commissioner Md Tawfiq-E-Lahi Chowdhury said Tk 20,000 has been provided to Taher’s family as assistance. Bhola has been seeing drizzles and strong wind since Wednesday morning. Cyclone Yaas has made landfall in India’s Odisha. Also read: 5 killed, damages incurred as cyclone Yaas completes landfall in eastern India Child drowns in Bagerhat Meanwhile, four-year-old Jinia died this afternoon after drowning near her house in Morrelganj upazila of Bagerhat. Morrelganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Delwar Hossain said that the roads and drains of the Upazila have been inundated due to an unusual increase in the water level of Panguchi River. Jinia fell into the overflowing drain and drowned, he said. Meanwhile, at least 5,000 families in Sarankhola, Morrelganj and Mongla upazilas have been stranded today as water level in the rivers adjacent to these places have gone up due to the impact of Cyclone Yaas. Besides, an embankment in Mongla was damaged at three places due to excessive tidal pressure leaving at least 500 families stranded in Kainmari, Sundartala, Kaltala, Jaymoni and South Kaimari villages of the upazila on Wednesday afternoon. Also read: Cyclone Yaas: 2 reported dead in Bangladesh Low-lying areas inundated in Khulna Low-lying areas in Koyra, Dacope and Paikgachha upazilas of Khulna were inundated by tidal surge triggered by Cyclone Yaas. The residents of the upazilas have been experiencing light rains or drizzles since Wednesday noon and the local administration has opened over 1,000 cyclone shelters. The local Met Office, meanwhile, recorded 21mm rainfall in the past two days.

Five people were killed on Wednesday after cyclonic storm Yaas hit the coastal area of the eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha, local media reported. The cyclone made landfall with marginally lower intensity with a wind speed of 130-140 km/ph. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone has completed landfall and is likely to move north-northwestwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours. Officials said the high tidal waves breached embankments in West Bengal and Odisha coast, with a total of five deaths reported in the two states on Wednesday. In West Bengal, a youth who had moved to a cyclone shelter in the locality had come out of the shelter in Ramnagar 2 block of East Midnapore when the storm hit and he was drowned, local media reportd said. Two other people are reported to be killed in the coastal town of Digha in West Bengal, with one of them dying in a building collapse and another dragged out to sea, the state's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said. In the state of Odisha, two deaths have occurred. "One person was killed in Panchapalli village of Keonjhar district in Odisha after a tree fell on him, while the body of a 15-year-old boy was found in a pond at Jagannath Khunta village in Mayurbhanj district," media reports quoted local officials as having said. On Tuesday night two people were also electrocuted in West Bengal's Hooghly district during a tornado ahead of the cyclone. Besides, damages have been reported in both states. Around 20,000 mud houses and temporary shelters were either destroyed or damaged, as seawater entered residential areas and inundated low-lying areas in Digha of West Bengal. In Odisha, trees have been uprooted in Bhadrak district and some areas have been flooded. The local government has warned people to stay indoors as heavy rains are likely to continue. Authorities of Odisha have shifted over half a million people from low-lying areas, while as in West Bengal around 1.15 million people were evacuated from the coastal areas and shifted to rescue shelters. Chief ministers of both states are continuously monitoring the situation and holding review meetings with the disaster management officials. India's federal government has alerted navy teams and the air force to assist the local governments in relief and rescue operations. Meanwhile, 115 teams of India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the affected areas to clear roads of fallen trees and evacuate people from coastal villages and towns. Last week cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc in India's coastal areas, killing many people in Karnataka, Goa and Kerala Maharashtra. At least 70 people were also killed after barge P305 sank off Mumbai due to the cyclone.

Sever Cyclonic Storm Yaas which intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over Northwest Bay and adjoining area completed crossing North Odisha-West Bengal coast between North of Dhamra & South of Balasore by 3pm on Wednesday. Then it weakened into a severe cyclonic storm and now lies over coastal North Odisha, said a bulletin of Bangladesh Metrological Department. Also read: Cyclone Yaas makes landfall in eastern India It may move north-northwestwards further over land and weakened gradually, it added. The met office forecast rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty/squally wind  at most places over Khulna, Barishal, Dhaka, Rajshahi, Rangpur & Chattogram divisions and at many places over Mymensingh & Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places over the country. Also read: Cyclone 'Yaas': 1 killed, low-lying areas inundated in Bhola Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged and night temperature may fall slightly over the country, it added.