(CNN) – India’s Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday that the cause and those responsible for the deadly train accident had been identified, but declined to give further details.
“This incident occurred due to a change in the electronic lock. We will find out who was responsible for this error as part of our investigation,” Vaishnaw told Indian news agency ANI.
“Let the investigation report come out. But the cause has been identified and those responsible have been identified. It is not appropriate to say anything at this time. Have the whole matter investigated by the relevant authorities,” he continued.
Vaishnaw said the goal now is restoration; “Our goal is to have a full and normal situation by Wednesday morning,” Vaishnaw said, adding that “we have mobilized a lot of resources.”
The death toll from the train crash has been revised from 288 to 275. The corrected figure is due to an error in the count of some bodies, according to Odisha State chief secretary Pradeep Jena.
Rescue work at the scene of a fatal train crash in the eastern Indian state of Odisha ended Saturday night and workers began clearing debris and rubble.
“The 21 wagons that overturned due to the train derailment at Bahanaga Bazar station have been immobilized. Now the place is being cleared,” the press information office said in a statement on Sunday, citing the state’s Ministry of Railways.
India’s Railways Ministry reported in a statement this Saturday that more than 1,000 workers are intervening with seven bulldozers, two auxiliary trains and four rail and road cranes.
Indian PM praises rescue teams
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised local authorities and those involved in search and rescue operations in the eastern state of Odisha.
“I commend every single person on the railroad teams, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force), local authorities, police, firefighters, volunteers and others who work tirelessly before Work on the spot and step up rescue.” Operations. Proud of his dedication,” Modi tweeted on Saturday.
Work to clear and repair the tracks is already underway. Officials had hoped to find bodies among the rubble, but there was little hope of finding survivors.
“… We will remove the wagons one by one, but we don’t have much hope of finding survivors,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, director-general of the Odisha Fire Department, told Indian news agency ANI on Saturday.
Announce compensation for victims
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the crash site on Saturday.
The Prime Minister of the east Indian state of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, on Sunday announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (US$6,067) for the families of those killed in the fatal train accident and 100,000 rupees (US$1,213) for those seriously injured.
According to a statement from Odisha’s Information and Public Relations Department, Patnaik also spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by phone to update him on the latest developments following the deadly train accident, particularly the status of the injured.
Patnaik “assured that all possible measures were taken to save the lives of injured passengers at various hospitals,” the statement said.
“Doctors, medical students do everything to save lives. Doctors, students and citizens are donating blood for the injured,” the statement continued.