Signal Fault Identified As Cause Of Train Crash In India, Says Minister
The Guardian|June 05, 2023
India’s railways minister has said the country’s deadliest train crash in more than two decades was caused by an error in electronic signals that sent a train on to the wrong tracks.
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Signal Fault Identified As Cause Of Train Crash In India, Says Minister

Ashw ini Vaishnaw said the full in quiry into Friday’s crash in the eastern state of Odisha, which killed at least 275 people and injured more than 1,000, was still under way but “the root cause has been identifi ed”.

According to preliminary fi ndings, a green signal was given to the Coromandel Express train to enter the main track line but was later taken off . The train then entered another line, known as the loop line, and crashed into a stationary freight train, laden with heavy iron ore .

The impact of the collision, which took place as the Coromandel Express was travelling at 80mph, was momentous. The crash caused the engine and the fi rst four or fi ve coaches to jump the tracks, topple and hit the last two coaches of the BengaluruHowrah Superfast Express heading in the opposite direction, causing several of its carriages to derail.

Vaishnaw would not confi rm if the human error or interference had played a role in the signalling malfunction. “Who has done it and what is the reason will come out of an investigation,” he added. The railways ministry ha s also sought a criminal investigation into the incident by the Central Bureau of Investigation, a government agency.

This story is from the June 05, 2023 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 05, 2023 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView All
Explained: how did the Everton crisis get to this point?
The Guardian

Explained: how did the Everton crisis get to this point?

Owner made bold promises but the club have this week had to callin insolvency advisers amid huge debts

time-read
3 mins  |
May 01, 2024
Key expects ‘slugfest' as England's batting muscle ripples from top
The Guardian

Key expects ‘slugfest' as England's batting muscle ripples from top

Amidrising tide of Twenty20 run-rates, the defending champions have opted for more aggression in selection

time-read
4 mins  |
May 01, 2024
'Defending democracy' The fears behind EU ultimatum to Meta on fake news
The Guardian

'Defending democracy' The fears behind EU ultimatum to Meta on fake news

Fears that Vladimir Putin is trying to fill the European parliament with pro-Russia MEPs were behind the EU's blunt message to the Silicon Valley owner of Facebook yesterday. It gave Meta just five days to explain how it will root out fake news, fake websites and stop adverts funded by the Kremlin, or face severe measures.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 01, 2024
Whitbread to cut 1,500 jobs and sell 126 restaurants
The Guardian

Whitbread to cut 1,500 jobs and sell 126 restaurants

The Premier Inn owner Whitbread is to cut 1,500 jobs in the UK and shut more than 100 struggling restaurants despite announcing a significant rise in returns to shareholders.

time-read
1 min  |
May 01, 2024
'Poised and calm' The young, fresh face of France's far right
The Guardian

'Poised and calm' The young, fresh face of France's far right

A mid the paté stalls wine-tastings and of a country fair, a young politician hailed as the new face of the French far right was jostled by crowds shouting for photographs and handing him tricolour flags to autograph. \"Rockstar!\" shouted one 18-year-old.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 01, 2024
Five skeletons unearthed at home where Goring lived in Nazi base
The Guardian

Five skeletons unearthed at home where Goring lived in Nazi base

Amateur archaeologists have found five human skeletons missing their hands and feet under the former home of the Nazi war criminal Hermann Goring at Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair military headquarters in present-day Poland.

time-read
1 min  |
May 01, 2024
Trump fined 9,000 for violating gag order and warned of jail time
The Guardian

Trump fined 9,000 for violating gag order and warned of jail time

Donald Trump was fined 9,000 yesterday for nine violations of a gag order designed to protect participants in the former US president’s criminal trial in New York as thejudge warned him faced jail ifhe continued to violate the order.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 01, 2024
Student protests Expulsion threat at Columbia campus
The Guardian

Student protests Expulsion threat at Columbia campus

Tensions at Columbia University are boiling over since students protesting over the Israel-Hamas war inside Hamilton Hall now face expulsion, a spokesperson said yesterday.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 01, 2024
Shh! Intimate Ralph Lauren runway show whispers quiet sophistication
The Guardian

Shh! Intimate Ralph Lauren runway show whispers quiet sophistication

In recent years, the settings for Ralph Lauren's runway shows have become something akin to displays of the designer's power and influence.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 01, 2024
Running round a Wall of Death may aid astronauts’ fitness on moon
The Guardian

Running round a Wall of Death may aid astronauts’ fitness on moon

As humans prepare to return to the moon after an absence of more than half a century, researchers have hit on a radical approach to keeping astronauts fit as they potter around the ball of rock.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 01, 2024