Error in signaling system led to train crash that killed 275 people in India, official says

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By KRUTIKA PATHI, SHEIKH SAALIQ and ASHOK SHARMA an hour ago

BALASORE, India (AP) — 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 more: https://apnews.com/article/india-passenger-train-derail-deadly-accident-dd0c82012f9e14016b58d09eb3adec2d

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FULL story and video at link.

[applegrove]

1. Some heavy equipment there but lots of the work being done by hand.

[Warpy]

2. Must have happened at speed

This is so sad. Rail accidents are always a horror show.

I wonder how many were up on top, those are prize places to travel, they take advantage of the breeze. It's the hottest part of the year there.