Officials in India’s eastern state of Odisha report that a disaster involving three trains has left at least 280 persons dead and 900 injured.
On Friday evening, a passenger train derailed, sending its coaches careening onto the nearby track, where they were hit by an approaching train. There was a goods train waiting.
As many people are still trapped in the rubble, the death toll is predicted to grow.
The reason for India’s biggest train accident this century is still unknown.
According to officials, the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express had several carriages derailed at about 19:00 (13:30 GMT) in the Balasore area, hit a halted goods train, and ended up on the other track.
The overturned coaches were struck by a different train, the Yesvantpur to Howrah ccccc.
“The force with which the trains collided has resulted in several coaches being crushed and mangled. We are trying to cut through the wreckage to reach the passengers. We also have to be careful not to hurt those alive,”
He said this was “the third deadliest crash in the history of Indian railways.” Atul Karwal, chief of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), told.
According to the state’s chief secretary Pradeep Jena, more than 200 ambulances and several medical professionals, nurses, and rescuers were dispatched to the area.
Director General of Odisha Fire Services Sudhanshu Sarangi had originally reported 288 fatalities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anticipated to visit the injured in the hospital later on Saturday. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is already on the scene of the tragedy.
One male survivor said, “10 to 15 people fell on me when the accident happened, and everything went haywire. I was at the bottom of the pile.
“I got hurt in my hand and the back of my neck. When I came out, I saw someone had lost their hand and leg, while someone’s face was distorted,” the survivor told India’s news agency.
In the state, a day of mourning has been declared.
India’s deadly train crashes
- In June 1981, a typhoon caused the collapse of seven out of nine carriages of a crowded train, resulting in nearly 800 fatalities.
- August 1995: A train collision 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Delhi results in 350 fatalities.
- August 1999: Near Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), two trains collide, killing at least 285 people.
- October 2005: In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, a train derailed in October 2005, killing 77 people.
- November 2016: a derailment involving 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express train close to Kanpur resulted in around 150 fatalities and equal injuries.
The first people to arrive at the accident scene and launch the rescue effort were residents of the nearby communities.
It was seen that some surviving passengers rushed to the rescue of those buried in the debris.
Additionally, assisting in the transport of injured passengers were local bus firms.
Millions of people travel by train daily in India, which has one of the largest networks in the world, but much of the infrastructure needs to be upgraded.
At least 800 persons were killed in India’s deadliest railway accident 1981 when a crowded passenger train was blown off the rails and into a river during a cyclone in Bihar.
