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| At least 275 people died in the accident and over 1,100 passengers were injured |
tective agency should
investigate the deadly crash that killed 275 people.
Railway Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision but did not give more details.
Railways-led
investigations have already started and preliminary reports say a signal fault
led to the crash.
The three-train
collision on Friday night has been described as India's worst rail accident
this century.
More than 1,000
suffered injuries and were taken to hospitals. Some families are still
searching for their loved ones.
It's not clear
why the Railway Board, the ministry's top decision making body, has recommended
a separate investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) when
other inquiries have already started.
The CBI
investigates high profile criminal causes, including serious financial frauds
and murders.
Mr Vaishnaw said
on Sunday that "the root cause" of the accident and people
responsible for the "criminal act" had been identified.
He added that a
"change in electronic interlocking" was the likely cause of the
accident. The minister urged people to wait for the final report.
A report by the
Commissioner of Railway Safety would be made public soon and it would
reveal the cause, he said.
Meanwhile, the
railways said on Sunday that the Coromandel Express's engine and coaches
crashed into a goods train due to a signal fault and a "change in
electronic interlocking".
In railway
signalling the electronic interlocking system sets routes for each train in a
set area, ensuring the safe movement of trains along the track.
The impact of
the crash threw coaches of the Coromandel Express onto a third track and they
rammed into the rear carriages of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express that
was coming down the line at a high speed.
More than 3,000
passengers are thought to have been on board the two passenger trains.
Atul Karwal,
chief of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said the force of the
collision left several coaches crushed. Rescuers had to cut through the
wreckage to reach the passengers.
Hundreds of
ambulances, doctors, nurses and rescue personnel were sent to the scene and
worked for 18 hours to rescue passengers and pull out bodies.
On Sunday night,
Mr Vaishnaw said train movement had been restored on the railway tracks where
the accident took place.
Reports say
several passengers are still missing.
Opposition
leaders have called on Mr Vaishnaw to take responsibility for the tragedy and
resign.
The ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party has responded by
asking them not to politicise the accident.
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