Delhi: Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday demanded resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the wake of triple train tragedy in Odisha in which 261 people died. He said that the report of the inquiry should be made public.

Chavan expressed grief over the tragedy that took place on Friday evening and involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Coromandel Express and a goods trains on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district of Odisha.

“We demand the resignation of Railway Minister, he should offer voluntary resignation and follow the tradition of Lal Bahadur Shastri,” Chavan said.

“According to the initial information, it is a signal failure and such incidents have never happened before. It is a very unfortunate accident and the inquiry must be public there has to be a discussion on such accidents,” Chavan said.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who reached Balasore, said that rescue operation in the Odisha triple train mishap has been completed and restoration work has begun.

He said that a high-level probe has been initiated and efforts will be taken to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.

“The rescue operation has been completed and restoration work has started. We will thoroughly investigate this incident and will ensure such incidents don’t happen in future,” Vaishnaw said.

Seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Teams, five Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) Units and 24 Fire Services and Emergency Units engaged in rescue operations. The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Mi-17 helicopters for the evacuation of the deceased and injured.