INDIA. Odisha: At least 233 people died and 900 were wounded when two passenger trains crashed in India’s Odisha state, a government official stated on Saturday, making it the nation’s bloodiest rail tragedy in more than a decade.
Pradeep Jena, the state’s chief secretary, said on Twitter that the number of fatalities from Friday’s crash is anticipated to climb. He further added that more than 200 ambulances had been dispatched to the accident site in the Balasore region of Odisha, and 100 more doctors had been mobilised on top of the 80 who had already arrived at the location.
A video that surfaced online early Saturday morning showed police officers removing white-clothed corpses from the train rails.
Video from Friday showed passengers waving for help and crying close to the debris as rescuers climbed up one of the crumpled trains in search of lives.
On Friday at around 19:00 local time (1330 GMT), the Howrah Superfast Express, which travels from Bangalore to Howrah, West Bengal, collided with the Coromandel Express, which travels from Kolkata to Chennai.
Authorities have given different information regarding which train derailed first and became entangled with the other.
The Ministry of Railways announced that it has opened an investigation into the incident. Railway authorities have not yet responded to Chief Secretary Jena’s and some media claims that a goods train may also have been involved in the collision.
A massive search and rescue operation has been launched, involving hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and sniffing dogs. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force were also on the scene.
On Friday, hundreds of young people waited outside a government hospital in Soro, Odisha, to donate blood.
Indian Railways claims that its network makes it possible for more than 13 million people to travel each day. However, because of its old infrastructure, the state-run monopoly has a spotty safety record.
On June 3, the chief minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, proclaimed a day of national mourning in honour of the victims.
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