Death count rises to 288 in Odisha train tragedy, 1000+ remain injured

• Coromandel Express derails in Odisha's Balasore district,Death count rises to 275 in Odisha train tragedy, leaving behind 1000+ injured

• Following the massive threeway accident involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train.

• Emergency helpline 06782262286, Howrah Helpline Number: 033-26382217. established to provide support and assistance

The death count in the Odisha train tragedy rose to 288 on Saturday as Army, NDRF and rescue officials continuously worked overnight to pull out survivors and dead bodies from the mangled remains of the three trains that collided with each other near the Bahangabazaar station in Balasore district of Odisha.

As many as 1000+ have been injured and are undergoing treatment in nearby hospitals.

This is one of the worst train disasters in India in recent times. Around 7 o’clock on Friday evening, a train crashed near the Bahanaga Baazar station in the Balasore district, roughly 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. The Railway Ministry immediately ordered an investigation to know the cause of the accident.

According to a statement from the Indian Railways, A M Chowdhary, Commissioner Railway Safety, South East Circle, will be in charge of the investigation into the train disaster. The Ministry of Civil Aviation oversees the Commissioner of Railway Safety.

Several coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, on the way to Howrah, derailed and fell on adjacent tracks, an official said. “These derailed coaches collided with the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and its coaches capsized too,” he said.

Several coaches of the Coromandel Express, which was travelling to Chennai, derailed and collided with the waggons of a goods train, which was also involved in the tragedy, he added.

The bodies were pulled out from beneath the derailed coaches using gas cutters. A passenger said, “Some of the scenes at the site were too horrific to describe”. As mangled coaches lay scattered everywhere, some of which had mounted on others and others of which had turned turtle from the collision, the nearby railway tracks were nearly completely wrecked.

When the incident occurred, Pijush Poddar, a resident of Berhampore in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, was taking the Coromandel Express to Tamil Nadu to begin employment there. “We were jolted and suddenly saw the train bogie turn on one side. Many of us were thrown out of the compartment by the momentum of the derailment. When we managed to crawl out, we found bodies lying all around,” he said.

There were 1,200 people working at the accident site in addition to 115 ambulances, 50 buses, and 45 mobile health units, according to Bhubaneswar officials. All kinds of vehicles, including tractors, were used to transport the bodies to the hospitals.

Locals claimed they heard a series of loud noises, raced to the scene, and found the derailed coaches to be little more than “a mangled heap of steel.”

“The local people really went out on a limb to help us… They not only helped in pulling out people but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” Rupam Banerjee, one of the passengers, told reporters.

Following the fatal triple train tragedy, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday declared a day of state mourning.

According to State Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahoo, the accident victims were being treated at various hospitals. All public and private hospitals, including the AIIMS in Bhubaneswar, have been placed on alert in the close-by districts. The Air Force was also reportedly called in to help with the rescue efforts, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

“Rushing to the site in Odisha. My prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured and condolences to the bereaved families. Rescue teams mobilised from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. NDRF, State govt. teams and Airforce also mobilised. Will take all hands required for the rescue ops,” he tweeted.

Relief trains with medical equipment, doctors and paramedics have rushed to the site from Kharagpur and Bhadrak. A special train is also coming from Balasore towards Howrah with around 200 stranded passengers. Water, tea and food items are provided to the passengers at Kharagpur station. Food packets will also be provided at Howrah station on arrival of the trains, South Eastern Railway said in a statement.

The railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh for the deceased’s surviving family members, Rs. 2 lakh for those who suffered severe injuries, and Rs. 50,000 for those who had only minor injuries.

Announcing an additional ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the surviving family members of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his grief over the accident.