By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Indian Railways has begun its probe into the train accident in Orissa that claimed nine lives and injured about 150, an official said Monday.
“Balbir Singh, the commissioner of railway safety, has arrived here. He visited the spot on Saturday, met railway staff and examined the tracks,” said J.P. Mishra, chief public relations officer of East Coast Railway.
“He is likely to record statements of witnesses in a day or two,” Mishra told IANS.
The Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed just at the point of crossing the tracks Friday evening near the Jajpur-Keonjhar Road railway station, about 120 km from here.
Fourteen of the 24 coaches went off the track. At least four of the derailed coaches were badly damaged.
The cause of the accident is not yet clear and the commissioner is looking at various possible causes, a railway official said.
“These include track conditions and the condition of the engine. He is also looking at the possibility of human interference,” the official added.
Train services on the route were resumed Sunday after the tracks damaged in the accident were repaired.