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Operations Resume After India's Deadly Train Disaster

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Israel Ojoko
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Officials have attributed the cause of the accident to failures associated with the signal systems.
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Image Credit: Reuters

Following Friday's tragic train accident near Balasore in the eastern state of Odisha, India, passenger and freight trains resumed operations on Monday at the site of the country's deadliest train disaster in decades.

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Officials have attributed the cause of the accident to failures associated with the signal systems.

Assessing the Aftermath and Revised Death Toll

Debris from the smashed carriages scattered near the crash site, as trains passed by. Initially, officials reported a death toll of 288, but the Odisha state government later revised the number down to 275 after discovering some bodies had been counted twice in error. Additionally, authorities reported that out of the 1,175 injured individuals, 382 were still receiving medical treatment in hospitals.

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While train operations have resumed, concerns remain regarding the potential for the death toll to rise further. Medical centres are currently overwhelmed with the influx of casualties, many of whom are in serious condition and require extensive care.

(Read Also: Investigation Begins into India’s Deadliest Rail Crash in Over Two Decades)

Steps Towards Recovery and Investigation

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Green netting has been erected on either side of the tracks to shield the crumpled carriages, which were pushed down the embankment, from the view of passing passengers. The railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, was seen offering prayers as he witnessed the first train crossing the site of the disaster on Sunday. The railway's ministry reported that a goods train loaded with coal was the first to resume operations, starting 51 hours after the crash.

(Read Also: Odisha Train Mishap: Another Goods Train Derails in Bargarh Days After Balasore Tragedy)

While it is unclear if all the tracks have been fully repaired, trains on Monday were limited to using only the lines on one side. Investigation into the sequence of events on Friday is ongoing, with railway officials suggesting a signalling error caused the Coromandel Express, travelling south from Kolkata to Chennai, to divert onto a side track. The collision occurred when it collided with a freight train, derailing an express travelling north from Bengaluru, India's technology hub, to Kolkata.

(Read Also: Three-Year-Old Boy Chews Snakelet to Death in Shocking Incident in Uttar Pradesh)

In the wake of this tragic incident, authorities are focusing on repairing the signal systems and implementing enhanced safety measures to prevent similar accidents in the future. The resumption of train operations is a step towards normalcy, but the nation mourns the lives lost in this devastating disaster.

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