India train crash due to changes in electronic interlocking system

India's federal railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said the cause of the fatal train accident in the eastern Indian state of Odisha was due to changes made to the point machine and electronic interlocking system, reported Xinhua.

The electronic interlocking system is a safety measure designed to prevent conflicting movements between trains on tracks.

The accident took place on Friday evening near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, about 171 km northeast of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha.

According to officials, the Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, hit the derailed bogies of a few coaches of Yashwantpur-Howrah Express, which derailed and toppled onto the adjacent track. A freight train was also said to be involved in the accident.

Vaishnaw stated that the individuals accountable for the accident have been identified and that efforts to restore the railway line are currently underway.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Friday's fatal train accident has been revised to 275, said a top government official of India's eastern state of Odisha on Sunday.

"The death toll is 275 and not 288. The data was checked by the District Magistrate, and it was found that some bodies have been counted twice, so the death toll has been revised to 275. Out of 275, only 88 bodies have been identified," Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena told the media.

Within the past 24 hours, approximately 800 out of the 1,175 injured individuals have been discharged from various hospitals after receiving treatment, the official said.

India's federal railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said the cause of the fatal train accident was changes made to the point machine and electronic interlocking system.

Vaishnaw stated that the individuals accountable for the accident have been identified and that efforts to restore the railway line are currently underway.

At least two railway lines are expected to be operational at the crash site by Sunday evening.