The CBI probe team arrived at the site…
New Delhi: On Tuesday, 06 June 2023, The CBI took over the investigation into the painful train crash on Friday in Odisha's Balasore that killed 278.
Today (Tuesday morning), the CBI probe team arrived at the accident location in Balasore and took over the investigation from Odisha police now.
The Odisha police have registered a case with charges of "causing death by negligence and endangering life" in the tragic train accident.
The CBI stepping in is a significant move as officials say only a detailed probe by a top agency can establish criminal tampering, if any, with the point machine or the electronic interlocking system, or if the train changed tracks due to reconfiguration or a signaling error.
Railway officials had earlier indicated that possible "sabotage" and tampering with the interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, led to the accident involving the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a goods train.
The crash, involving two passenger trains and a goods train, killed 278 people and injured more than 800.
According to the Initial Investigation, the railways said, the accident occurred due to a signal problem and there was no collision.
Some railway experts have questioned whether Coromandel Express may have hit the goods train directly inside a "loop line".
A "loop line" divides from the main tracks and returns to the mainline after some distance, which helps manage busy rail traffic.
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