A horrific three-train crash in Balasore district Odisha on Friday evening killed over 260+ people and injured over 900. There were three trains involved: the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train. The injured have been taken to hospitals in Balasore and Cuttack, as well as the SCB Medical College and Hospital Odisha.
According to PTI, dozens more people were trapped beneath the derailed trains, but darkness was hampering rescue efforts led by disaster response teams, railway officials, law enforcement, and local residents.
Amitabh Sharma, a railways spokesperson, said that around 7.20 p.m., 10 to 12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. They were hit by a superfast train on its way to Howrah, Bengal, and three to four of its coaches derailed. Then, in a sickening chain reaction, some of the derailed coaches from the first collision were hit by wagons of a goods train.
When the accident occurred, the Coromandel Express was on its way from Shalimar Station near Kolkata to Chennai Central Station. The bullet train was on its way from Bengaluru to Howrah. The goods train’s route is still unknown.
According to officials, approximately 300 people have been evacuated, with 179 of them hospitalized. Another 600 to 700 people are still trapped, which is very concerning. Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu said, approximately 60 ambulances have been mobilized to transport the injured to hospitals.
Three National Disaster Response Force units and four Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force units have been deployed to conduct rescue operations. Additional teams from the state’s fire and emergency services, as well as police and the Indian Air Force, have been deployed, according to union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. He stated that he was on his way to the scene of the tragedy in Odisha.
Officials said at 11.30 p.m. that one NDRF team had already arrived at the accident site and that five more were being rushed there. These six teams have a combined strength of more than 240 people. Stretchers, gas cutters, lifting pads, first-aid kits, and other necessary search-and-rescue equipment, as well as sniffer dogs, are available to these teams, according to a senior NDRF official.
A 10lac rupee compensation has been announced for the families of those killed. Those who have been seriously injured will receive 2 lakh, while those with minor injuries will receive 50,000.
Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha , has visited the accident site. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness over the accident and said he had spoken with Ashwini Vaishnaw to assess the situation.
