The Indian Railways on Tuesday rejected media reports claiming that an employee stationed at the Bahanga station at the time of the accident on June 2 was missing.

Dismissing the reports as “factually incorrect”, Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, the CPRO of South Eastern Railway, said that the reports were factually incorrect and all staff are present and are appearing before the CBI and CRS.

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“Media reports claiming that a Bahanaga staffer has been absconding and missing is factually incorrect. All staff are present and part of the inquiry. They are appearing before the CBI and CRS as per requirement,” said Chaudhary.

It was earlier reported that the CBI, which is investigating the Balasore train accident in Odisha, had sealed the residence of the Junior Engineer responsible for the Soro section signal when the triple train accident happened. As per the reports, the engineer, who resided in a rented house in Balasore, was interrogated by the investigative agency but was reported missing with his family later.

Odisha train accident: Death toll in triple train crash mounts to 292

The death toll in the June 2 accident on Sunday rose to 292. While 287 people died on the spot, five others have succumbed to the injuries so far, officials said, according to PTI. As many as 1,200 persons were reported injured when the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on the ill-fated day.

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A few of the derailed coaches toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time. The Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Super Fast Express and a goods train were involved in the pile-up, now dubbed as one of India’s worst train accidents.

Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is scheduled to visit the Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district today. He will also visit the Balasore District Hospital, where many of the injured had been admitted. The minister is also expected to inspect and review the development work being undertaken at Balasore railway station.

Balasore train accident investigation

The probe into the train crash was handed over to the CBI on June 6, four days after the tragedy. The decision to involve the agency drew widespread condemnation from the Opposition which termed it a move to divert attention and skirt accountability.

The agency was involved in the probe following allegations of tampering with the electronic interlocking system after the accident.