Vuttack: Andhra Pradesh Minister Gudivada Amarnath met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Cuttack city of Odisha on Sunday to discuss the rescue and relief operations being taken for the victims of the Balasore train accident.

The accident, which took place on Friday night, killed 275 people and injured over 1000 others. The crash in Odisha's Balasore district involving three trains is one of the worst rail accidents in India in nearly three decades.

Amarnath informed Vaishnaw about the steps undertaken by the Andhra government to help the victims of the tragic accident. He said that the state government has set up call centres in every district to help the affected families.

Vaishnaw, who has been camping at the site of the accident along with Union Minister Dharmendar Pradhan, commended the Andhra government for its quick response. He said that the Railway Ministry is providing all possible assistance to the state government.

Vaishnaw also maintained that the train crash had nothing to do with the Kavach system, a safety mechanism that is being installed on all Indian Railways trains. He said that the change that was done to the electronic interlocking system which led to the accident has been identified.

"Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after proper investigation," Vaishnaw told ANI.

Earlier, Amarnath told reporters that the injured Telugu passengers have been admitted to hospitals in Odisha's Bhubaneswar and several hospitals in Andhra Pradesh where they are undergoing treatment. He also said among the 342 Telugu passengers, 331 of them have been identified while the identity of 11 other passengers is being verified.

సీఎం వైయస్ జగన్ ఆదేశాలతో ఒడిశా రైలు ప్రమాద ప్రాంతంలో ముమ్మరంగా సహాయక చర్యలు చేపడుతున్న మంత్రి అమర్ నాథ్ నేతృత్వంలోని అధికారుల బృందం.#YSJaganCares #OdishaTrainAccident pic.twitter.com/cliKg5osgm
— Gudivada Amarnath (@gudivadaamar) June 4, 2023

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed the officials to pay ex-gratia to the families of passengers from the state who died or were injured in the Odisha train accident. The Chief Minister told them to pay ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, Rs 5 lakh each to those seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh each to those who sustained minor injuries.

సీఎం @ysjagan గారి ఆదేశాల మేర‌కు మంత్రి @gudivadaamar ఒడిశాలోని బాలాసోర్ వెళ్ళి, రైలు ప్ర‌మాదంలో గాయ‌ప‌డిన ఏపీకి చెందిన క్ష‌త‌గాత్రుల‌ను ప‌రామ‌ర్శించారు. వారిలో కొంద‌రిని మెరుగైన వైద్యం కోసం వైజాగ్ లేదా భువ‌నేశ్వ‌ర్‌కు త‌ర‌లించే విష‌య‌మై స్పెష‌ల్ క‌మిష‌న‌ర్ అరుణ్‌కుమార్‌తో… pic.twitter.com/KoXJbiT4mA
— YSR Congress Party (@YSRCParty) June 4, 2023

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