Early investigations into a deadly rail crash in India

By Nathan Morley

Early investigations into a deadly rail crash in India suggest a signalling error may have been to blame for the disaster.

The incident took place on Friday evening in the Balasore district, northeast of Bhuban-eswar, the capital Odisha, resulting in 275 deaths and over 1,100 injuries.

Witness accounts described an extremely violent collision which threw carriages in the air – leaving scores of people buried beneath debris.

In a public statement on Sunday, India's railway minister suggested a signal fault led to the disaster.

Promising a swift investigation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and vowed that anyone found guilty would be punished stringently.

India has one of the largest rail networks in the world, but transport experts say this crash is the deadliest in decades.

Accidents are not uncommon. In 2010, over 150 people were killed when a passenger train left the tracks and collided with freight train in West Bengal.