New Delhi, Jun. 4, (dpa/GNA) – A fault in an electric signal is thought to have been the cause of the rail accident in the east Indian district of Banaglore that claimed hundreds of lives, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Asian News International (ANI) on Sunday.
Vaishnaw said the cause of the incident and those responsible had been ascertained. Investigations were proceeding, he added.
Meanwhile, an earlier death toll of 288 was corrected to 275. The earlier figure reported on Saturday had been overstated, Pradeep Kumar Jena, chief secretary in the state of Odisha, told ANI. Some of the bodies had been counted twice, he said.
Jena added that 88 of the bodies had been identified thus far, after lists and photos of the deceased were uploaded onto government websites. Relatives were urged not to look with children present.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged on Saturday that those to blame for the accident would be severely punished, as opposition leaders accused the government of failing to invest in the country’s rail system and called on Vaishnaw to resign.
GNA