Odisha tragedy: How the deadly crash of three trains happened? What we know so far

Three trains collided in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday evening. The accident happened near Bahangabazaar station. The NDRF and Army teams immediately swung into action and rescue and relief operations began.

How did the accident happen?
Three trains, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a freight train were involved in the accident.

First, the Bengaluru-Howrah Express derailed and many of its coaches fell onto the adjacent track. The train was on its way to Howrah. Then the Chennai-bound Coromandel collided with derailed Bengaluru-Howrah Express buses. This also led to the derailment of the Coromandel Express carriages. The derailed carriages of this train subsequently hit a freight train, leading to a huge tragedy.

A total of 17 cars of both trains derailed after the accident.

The Odisha government so far puts the death toll at 280 and 900 people injured. The state government also said the scale of the tragedy was such that the trains crashed at the same location. Bahanga Baazar station, where the accident happened, is located 250 kilometers south of Kolkata and is 170 kilometers away from Bhubaneswar.

How exactly the first Bengaluru-Howrah Express train derailed is still unclear. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a detailed inquiry would be conducted to find out exactly how the trains derailed and the accident occurred.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to arrive at the crash site on Saturday. He meets the victims of the accident.

The railway has already announced compensation for the injured and also for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the terrible tragedy. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared a one-day state mourning after the accident.