Odisha train accident Highlights | Railways releases online links with details of affected passengers

Odisha train accident LIVE update | CBI team visits train accident site, begins probe

A 10-member CBI team on Monday visited the Balasore train accident site and began its probe into the triple train crash, a Railway official said. ECoR's Khurda Road division DRM Rintesh Ray said that according to his information, the CBI probe has begun but the details were not immediately known. The Railway Board on Sunday recommended a CBI probe into the accident.

Earlier, Commissioner of Railway Safety Shailesh Kumar Pathak visited the accident site where he went to the control room, signal room and signal point at Bahanaga Bazar railway station.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Govt starts DNA sampling in doubtful cases before handing over bodies to kin

In order to authenticate the identification of bodies and keep fake claimants at bay, the Odisha government on Monday started conducting DNA sampling in certain doubtful cases before handing over the mortal remains to genuine relatives.

The decision was taken after two different families from Bihar's Bhagalpur claimed one body as that of their relative. The body was beyond recognition, being severely mutilated and face disfigured.

Unable to decide whom the body should be handed over to, the state government decided to conduct DNA sampling of the claimants, and to make it a general procedure in such doubtful cases.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Ensure double locking of signalling equipment & relay rooms, railways tells zones

Ministry suspects there has been some manipulation of the signalling system that caused the Odisha mishap on Friday. Days after the accident, the Indian Railways has now asked all zones to carry out a special safety drive to ensure double locking of signalling equipment and relay rooms.

In an order issued on Monday, the Ministry also said that all zones should check that the double locking system – wherein the station master and the signalling staff both keep one key – is followed strictly.

Odisha train accident LIVE update |  Railways releases online links with details of affected passengers

To help families locate their kin affected by the triple train accident in Balasore, the railways, in coordination with the Odisha government, has prepared three online links with photos of those killed and lists of passengers admitted to different hospitals.

The railways has appealed to people to use the three links:

Link of photos of the deceased: (https:rcodisha.nic.in/Photos%20Of%20Deceased%20with%20Disclaimer.pdf)

Link of lists of passengers undergoing treatment in different hospitals (https://www.bmc.gov.in/train-accident/download/Lists-of-Passengers-Undergoing-Treatment-in-Different-Hospitals_040620230830.pdf)

Link of unidentified persons under treatment at SCB Cuttack (https://www.bmc.gov.in/train-accident/download/Un-identified-person-under-treatment-at-SCB-Cuttack.pdf)

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Liberty General Insurance sets up 24/7 helpline to process claims of IRCTC passengers

Insurance provider Liberty General Insurance on Monday said it has set up a dedicated 24/7 helpline facility to serve the families of the victims who lost their lives in the Balasore train accident that left at least 275 people dead and 1,100 injured.

Liberty General Insurance provides personal accident coverage to IRCTC train passengers. Families of the victims can call +91-9324968286 to avail the service, the company said.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Medical representative helps seven injured in Odisha train crash reunite with families

A medical representative from West Bengal's Midnapore town helped 7 people injured in the Odisha train crash reunite with their relatives through social media, turning out to be a hero for the distraught families that have been running from hospitals to morgues in search of their loved ones.

Nilotpal Chatterjee, who works with Torrent Pharmaceuticals, told PTI that he went to the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital on Saturday for work and found many people injured in the train tragedy being brought there.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Reliance Foundation initiates 10-point measures to aid victims

The 10-point relief measures aim to provide immediate and long-term support to those affected by the train accident. The measures include:

1. Free fuel for ambulances dealing with the disaster through the Jio-BP network.

2. Provision of free ration supplies, such as flour, sugar, dal, rice, salt, and cooking oil, for the next six months to affected families through Reliance stores.

3. Free medicines for the injured and medical treatment for those requiring hospitalisation due to the accident.

4. Counselling services for emotional and psychosocial support.

5. Providing employment opportunities through Jio and Reliance Retail to one family member of the deceased, as needed.

6. Provision of support aids to people with disabilities, including wheelchairs and artificial limbs.

7. Specialist skill training for those impacted to find new employment opportunities.

8. Microfinance and training opportunities for women who may have lost their sole earning family member.

9. Livestock support, such as cows, buffalos, goats, and poultry, for rural families impacted by the accident.

10. Free mobile connectivity for a year to a family member of the bereaved, enabling them to rebuild their livelihood.

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Odisha train accident LIVE update | More train accident survivors reach TN

A special train from Bhadrak arrived here on Monday with 17 more survivors of the Odisha train accident and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said a clarity would emerge in a day or two on the status of six Tamil Nadu passengers.

A Southern Railway spokesperson said 17 passengers arrived by the special train and authorities made necessary arrangements to cater to their requirements.

Odisha train crash: Commissioner of Railway Safety records statements of injured drivers

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on Monday recorded the statements of injured engine driver Gunanidhi Mohanty and his assistant Hajari Behera, who are undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, officials said.

Both were rescued from the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express that derailed near Bahanaga Bazar Station on June 2 that had claimed 275 lives and left around 1,200 injured.

“Both the drivers are stable. While Mohanty was taken out of the ICU on Monday, Behera is awaiting a head surgery,” South Eastern Railway (SER) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Aditya Choudhury told PTI.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Virender Sehwag pledges to sponsor education for children of the deceased

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has offered to look after the education of the children of the people who passed away in the Balasore train tragedy in Odisha on Friday. “In this hour of grief, the least I can do is to take care of the education of children of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident. I offer such children free education at Sehwag International School’s boarding facility,” the 44-year-old tweeted.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Goods train derails in Bargarh, no casualties reported

Five wagons of a goods train derails in Bargarh on Monday morning, just three days after the triple train accident which led to the death of 275 people. No injuries or casualties have been reported in the derailment today.

Odisha train accident LIVE news update | CBI meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents: Kharge to PM Modi

A day after the Railways sought a CBI probe into the Odisha train tragedy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the probe agency is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents, and cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures.

Kharge also said "all the empty safety claims" of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have now been "exposed" and the government must bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident, which he described as one of the worst in Indian history.

In his four-page letter to Modi, the Congress chief said there is serious concern among the common passengers about the deterioration in safety of railways and therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to ascertain and bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident.

Odisha train accident LIVE news update | Relatives still await bodies of loved ones as death toll reaches 275

Distraught relatives of passengers killed in the crash Friday lined up outside Bhubaneshwar’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Meanwhile, survivors being treated inside the hospital said they were still trying to make sense of the horrific disaster.

So far only 45 bodies have been identified, and 33 have been handed over to relatives, said Mayur Sooryavanshi, an administrator who was overseeing the identification process at the hospital, about 200 km south of the site of the train crash in Balasore.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | Don't understand why matter has been given to CBI: Former Railway Minister

“It is beyond my understanding why this matter has been given to the CBI. Either they (government) explicitly say that there was sabotage, which they haven’t done yet,” former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal said on Monday on the Railway Board's recommendation of a CBI probe into the train accident.

Odisha train accident LIVE update | CRS begins inquiry, looks into interlocking system

Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) Shailesh Kumar Pathak on Monday began the inquiry in the triple-train accident that killed 275 people. He visited the Bahanaga Bazar railway station, inspected the control and signal rooms and spoke with he station manager. Pathak overlooked the interlocking system, a failure in which reportedly led to the collision.

“We have just started the inquiry. It will take time. The exact cause of the accident will be ascertained after the inquiry is over,” Pathak told reporters at the accident site.