How the India Train Crash Unfolded

Investigators of the fatal train crash in India are focusing on the possibility that the cause was a fault in the electronic signaling system. This is how officials say disaster has unfolded.

first Two passenger trains approaching

At about 7 p.m. local time, the Coromandel Express passenger train approached from the north at about 80 mph. A second passenger train, the Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express, approached from the south at the same time.

2 Coromandel Express turns onto occupied tracks

The Coromandel Express turned onto an adjacent track where an idling freight train was loaded with iron ore. An Indian Railways official said that a problem with the signaling system was most likely the overall cause of the accident, although investigations are still underway.

3 First passenger train collides with cargo ship

Coromandel Express collided with a freight train. The cars in front of the Coromandel jumped off the tracks and formed a pile of rubble. More than 20 cars from the Coromandel derailed.

4 Second passenger train crashed

The derailed cars of the Coromandel Express collided with the second passenger train as it passed, causing the two carriages at the end of the second passenger train to derail.

The scene of the accident stretched for more than ten meters.