2023 Odisha train collision

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Odisha train collision
Video still image of the collision aftermath
Workers at the site of the collision
Map
Location of collision
2023 Odisha train collision is located in India
2023 Odisha train collision
Crash location on a map of India
Details
Date2 June 2023 (2023-06-02)
around 19:00 IST (13:30 UTC)[1]
LocationNear Bahanaga Bazar railway station, Balasore, Odisha
Coordinates21°20′17″N 86°45′52″E / 21.33806°N 86.76444°E / 21.33806; 86.76444
CountryIndia
OperatorIndian Railways
Incident typeDerailment, double collision
CauseUnder investigation; Change in electronic interlocking from signalling error[2][3]
Statistics
Trains3 trains
Deaths288[4][5]
Injured1,175[6][7]

On 2 June 2023, three trains collided in Balasore district, in the state of Odisha in eastern India. The 12841 Shalimar - MGR Chennai Central Coromandel Express entered the passing loop instead of the main line near Bahanaga Bazar railway station at full speed and collided with a goods train. Due to the high speed of the Coromandel Express, its 21 coaches derailed and three of those collided with the oncoming 12864 SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express on the adjacent track.

A total of 288[4] people were killed in the crash and 1,175[6] others were injured.[7][8][9][10] It was India's deadliest railway crash since the Firozabad rail disaster in 1995, and the deadliest worldwide since the 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck.[11][12]

Crash

Simplified diagram of the 2023 Odisha train collision

On 2 June 2023, the 12841 Coromandel Express was travelling from Shalimar railway station, West Bengal to Chennai, Tamil Nadu on the "up main line" at the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in the state of Odisha. Around the same time, the Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express was travelling in the opposite direction from Bangalore, Karnataka to Howrah, West Bengal on the adjacent "down main line". Both trains, not scheduled to stop at the railway station and having received a "green signal" indicating it was safe to proceed along the main line, were at their highest permitted speed of 128 km/h (80 mph).[13][14]

At about 19:00 IST (13:30 GMT), the Coromandel Express was supposed to continue straight on the up main line but was wrongly switched to the parallel up loop line at full speed where it collided with a waiting goods train, laden with iron ore. Because of the high impact speed, 21 coaches of the train were derailed from the main line.[13][15][16][17] The goods train did not derail or move.[13]

The Bengaluru–Howrah Express had nearly cleared the Coromandel Express but three of the derailed coaches from the Coromandel Express careened into the adjacent track and whiplashed the tail end of the Bengaluru–Howrah Express crossing the station at the same time.[13]

Two unreserved coaches and the brake van of the Bengaluru–Howrah Express were derailed. The remainder of the train, which included the engine and 20 coaches, left with its passengers and continued to Balasore, where a further damaged coach was detached. The remaining 19 coaches then continued their journey to the train's destination of Howrah. It was reported that the reserved compartments of the Bengaluru–Howrah Express sustained no passenger fatalities or injuries. Officials said that ascertaining the identification of passengers on the unreserved coaches would take time.[18]

Emergency response

External videos
video icon Aerial visuals of the accident site on 3 June via ANI on Twitter
video icon Animated explanation of the accident by NDTV

Indian Railways published the reservation charts of both the passenger trains on its website.[‡ 1][‡ 2] The railways and the governments of Odisha, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu also issued helpline numbers.[19][20] According to the Chief Secretary of Odisha Pradeep Jena, three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) units, four Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force units, more than 15 fire rescue teams, 100 doctors, 200 police personnel and 200 ambulances were mobilised for the rescue operations. It was reported that four other NDRF teams were on the way to the crash site.[needs update] Local bus companies assisted in transporting injured passengers.[21][22] Local civilians provided passengers with water and helped them retrieve their luggage where possible.[23]

Members of the National Disaster Response Force on the site, June 3
A scene from interior part of inverted Coromandel coach after the collision, June 4

The Government of West Bengal sent 30 ambulances to assist with the rescue and recovery of the wounded. In addition, 40 doctors and several nursing staff were also sent for providing medical assistance to severely injured people.[24] The Government of Tamil Nadu sent a high level delegation comprising two state ministers and three IAS officers to Odisha to assist the passengers bound for Chennai and observe the situation. It also arranged a treatment facility with 70 beds at Chennai's Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.[25]

Rescue operations being conducted at the crash site

The search for and recovery of trapped and injured passengers continued through the night of 2 June and was concluded on the afternoon of 3 June.[26][27] Search dogs were used to find survivors.[27] South Eastern Railway announced that efforts had commenced to restore the crash site the next day.[22] A number of locals from Balasore, Bhadrak, and Cuttack came to hospitals to donate blood.[28]

Victims

According to initial reports by Pramila Mallik, Odisha state's disaster management minister, 288 people were killed in the crash, and more than 900 others were injured; these numbers would later rise.[29] The death toll was later revised to 275 by Odisha Chief Secretary Jena.[30] Bodies of deceased passengers were taken to a local high school, chosen due to its open spaces and location close to the crash site.[31] Identification of bodies was made more difficult due to burns or other trauma, causing officials to use luggage, phones, and other belongings to try to identify the passengers.[31]

By the evening of 3 June, Odisha government officials said that 1,175 people had been admitted to hospitals as a result of the crash; 793 of those people had been released, and 382 were still undergoing treatment.[26] Local hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of injured people, but worked to provide patients with adequate care.[28]

Investigation

A preliminary investigation conducted by Kharagpur railway division officials indicates that the following occurred at the site of crash:[32][33]

  • The Coromandel Express was heading towards Chennai on a southbound line at a speed of 128 km/h (80 mph) and was initially given the signal to proceed on the main line it was coming on. However, for unknown reasons, the signal was then taken off for the main line and the route was switched to a loop line that is adjacent to the main line.[34]
  • The Coromandel Express then hit the rear end of a stationary goods train which was on the loop line. This caused the locomotive of the Coromandel Express to climb over the goods train wagon, and also caused the derailment of the Coromandel Express's 22 coaches.
  • In the meantime, Bengaluru–Howrah Express, which was heading towards Howrah on the northbound line at a speed of 126 km/h (78 mph), was passing the Coromandel Express in the opposite direction. At the moment of the crash, most of the coaches of the Bengaluru–Howrah Express, but not its rear end, had passed the other train.
  • When the Coromandel Express derailed, three of its coaches hit the last two coaches of Bengaluru–Howrah Express; consequently, those five coaches saw the most casualties.

The railway authorities stated that the anti-collision system had not yet been deployed on the track where the collision happened, despite their having been warned twice in the six months before the incident about the missing anti-collision signalling system and other shortcomings that contributed to causing the derailment. In February 2023, the principal chief operating manager of South Western Railways zone had written to the authorities after the Yesvantpur–Hazrat Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti Express narrowly escaped a collision. He had warned South Western Railways that there would be derailments if the glitches in the signalling system remained unfixed. A December 2022 report on derailments by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India had warned that lack of adequate staffing in the safety department by the Indian Railways would impact the quality of maintenance. The report also stated that railway safety funds had fallen short of their target every year for the last four years. That report contradicted the claims by Indian Railways that the accident was not a reflection of deeper safety issues in the system.[35][36][37]

On 4 June, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that a "change in electronic interlocking", an error in electronic signals, caused the crash.[2][3] Railway Board member Jaya Varma said that the electronic interlocking system is "fail-safe" in 99.9% of cases but the rare case of failure could indicate an interference.[38][39]

Aftermath

The railways announced that they would pay compensation of ₹10 lakh (US$13,000) to families of the deceased, ₹2 lakh (US$2,500) to the severely injured and ₹50,000 (US$630) to those with minor injuries. Further, ex gratia compensation of ₹2 lakh (US$2,500) from the PMNRF would be given to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 (US$630) to the injured.[9][40]

Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee announced that ₹5 lakh (US$6,300) in compensation would be paid to families of passengers from West Bengal who had been killed, ₹1 lakh (US$1,300) to those who had been critically injured, and ₹50,000 (US$630) to those with minor injuries.[41]

Excavators clearing the tracks two days after the event

Following the crash, NDTV reported that at least 48 trains on the affected route had been cancelled, 39 trains had been diverted onto a different route, and 10 had been short-terminated;[42] Hindustan Times reported that more than 150 trains were impacted.[26] The inaugural run of the Mumbai CSMT–Madgaon Vande Bharat Express, which had been scheduled for 3 June, was cancelled.[43] The Ministry of Civil Aviation directed airlines to ensure that airfares would not surge in response to increased travel demand.[44] Bus fares in the region, however, showed a steep rise.[45]

Two trains, the Bengaluru–Howrah Express and a special train, arrived at Howrah on 3 June with 643 passengers. Arrangements were made for the passengers' medical needs at the station. The critically injured had already been hospitalised in Balasore. Buses were arranged by the Regional Transport Office to take passengers home.[46] Another train left from Bhadrak for Chennai with 195 stranded passengers. According to an official, it would also board passengers of Coromandel Express at stations on the way.[47] On 3 June, a bus carrying passengers from the crash site to medical facilities in West Bengal crashed into another vehicle in West Bengal's Medinipur. Some passengers may have suffered minor injuries.[48] The passenger train service resumed on 5 June after more than 51 hours of restoration work.[49]

Reactions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the crash site.

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, expressed his distress over the incident and extended his thoughts to the grieving families.[50] Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the incident as "profoundly distressing.”[22] The Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik and the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee expressed their concerns over the disaster.[51][52] Leaders from neighbouring countries of India and across the world expressed their condolences for the loss of life, and extended support to India.[53][54]

Both the Chief Minister of Odisha[55] and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu declared a day of mourning and the latter announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh (US$6,300) to the kin of those who had died.[56]

Many opposition parties, including Indian National Congress, Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Communist Party of India asked for Railway Minister Vaishnaw's resignation.[57]

Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the All India Congress Committee, referred to a letter from February in which he questioned the Ministry of Railways about their oversight of a crucial warning.[58] The former Railway Minister also criticized the government for not implementing the anti-train-collision system. He stated that both the Prime Minister Modi and Railway Minister Vaishnaw seemed reluctant to acknowledge the existence of problems.[59][60]

On 4 June, Vaishnaw said that the railway board had recommended a CBI probe.[61]

See also

References

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Primary sources

In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

  1. ^ "Contingency Train Chart (12841)". www.indianrail.gov.in. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Contingency Train Chart (12864)". www.indianrail.gov.in. Retrieved 3 June 2023.

External links

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