On 2 June 2023, India’s deadliest crash happened between two passenger trains and a stationary freight train in the eastern state of Odisha.
What is the Complete Story?
Two passenger trains, the 12864 SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah SF Express, and the 12841 Coromandel Express, collided with a stationary freight train near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha.
The crash killed at least 288 people, and more than 1175 people injured. It is considered India’s train crash since the 1999 Gaisal train disaster.
How Did 2023 India Train Crash Happen?
On 2 June around 7 pm IST, two passenger trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai Main Line, including a goods train near Bahanaga Bazar in Balasore district, in the eastern state of Odisha.
One of the passenger trains, Coromandel Express, was heading south to Chennai from Kolkata. On the other hand, Howrah Express was running from Bengaluru to Kolkata, opposite Coromandel.
According to a board member of the railway, Jaya Varma Sinha, the investigation says that the Coromandel Express moved out of the main track and entered the loop track, and collided with the goods train.
However, a loop track is a side track used for parking. The collision caused the first four or five coaches of the Coromandel Express to jump off the track and hit the last two coaches of the Howrah Express.
The crash between Coromandel and Howrah caused two coaches of Howrah to jump off the track and resulted in a huge pileup.
What Caused the India Train Crash?
According to the investigation, the computer-controlled track management system, known as the interlocking system, is suspected to have malfunctioned. The system is responsible for directing a train to an empty track at the point where two tracks meet.
That day, it should not have allowed the Coromandel Express to run on the loop track. A substantial amount of debris had been cleared from the collision site by Sunday. As of Sunday evening, it was found that the number of people who died in the train crash was 275, with more than 1175 injured.
However, the bodies were taken to the nearest business centre for identification, where dozens of relatives were waiting outside for their loved ones.
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