India is investigating the causes of the train disaster that killed at least 288 people

After the fright, the questions. The Indian authorities are trying to understand, Sunday, June 4, the causes of the railway tragedy which killed at least 288 people, ensuring that“no responsible” of the accident would be spared. Confusion reigns at this stage but the Times of India (in English), citing the preliminary investigation report, reports that a “human error” may have caused the collision between three trains.

>> India: what we know about the train disaster that killed nearly 300 people

At least 288 people died in the tragedy and 900 were injured. But the toll is expected to rise further, and could reach 380 dead, according to the director general of the Odisha state fire service.

A train diverted by mistake?

The Coromandel Express, linking Kolkata to Madras, had been given the green light to run on the main track but was rerouted due to human error on a track where there was already a freight train, according to the Times of India. The passenger train then struck the freight convoy at a speed of around 130 km/h.

Three carriages then fell onto the adjacent track, hitting the rear of an express train which was operating between Bangalore and Calcutta. It was this collision that caused the most damage, adds the Times, citing the preliminary report. Saturday media, citing railway officials, had mentioned a signaling error.

At this point, Friday night’s train crash is India’s deadliest since 1995, when two express trains collided in Firozabad, near Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, killing more than 300 people.