Probe into Indian rail disaster opens

Preliminary findings into India’s deadliest rail crash in over 20 years point to a failure of the electronic signal system as the likely cause for the collision that killed at least 275 people


INDIA
Kolkata 
Chennai
Balasore: Crash site


1 Jun 2, 19.00 local time: Coromandel Express heading south from Kolkata to Chennai. Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express approaching from south. Both trains travelling within 130km/h limit

Howrah Superfast Express 
Freight train
Other parked freight train
Coromandel Express

2 Coromandel Express enters loop track – side track used to park trains – at 128km/h and crashes into stationary freight train carrying iron ore. Many Coromandel carriages derailed

Possible system signal failure

3 Rear two carriages of Howrah Superfast Express also derailed after colliding with Coromandel carriages

More than 3,000 people on board two passenger trains


Sources: The Hindu, Reuters, BBC 
Picture: Getty Images 
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