 "Rescue operation being conducted after four coaches of the Coromandel Express derailed. Photo: PTI")
At least 50 people were killed and 350 people were injured after a passenger trains derailed in Balasore district in Odisha, according to PTI reports. The incident occurred near Bahanaga Bazar station, after the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed at 6.51 pm with another train crashing into the derailed coaches.
“Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Balasore and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yesvantpur to Howrah dashed into the derailed coaches, resulting in the derailment of its three-four coaches,” Amitabh Sharma, spokesperson of the Ministry of Railways said.
Emergency services reached the spot shortly afterwards, with over 50 ambulances and multiple relief teams called to action.
“Forty-seven injured people received at Medical College Balasore, 132 people were shifted to Soro community health centre, Gopalpur community health centre, and Kantapada primary health centre,” Odisha's chief secretary Pradeep Jena said, as the number of casualties and injured kept going up.
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was headed for Odisha, announced compensation for victims on Twitter. “Ex-gratia compensation to the victims of this unfortunate train accident in Odisha; ₹10 Lakh in case of death, ₹2 Lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries,” he tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took stock of the situation. “Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given to those affected,” Modi wrote on Twitter.
President Droupadi Murmu condoled the deaths. “Deeply anguished by loss of lives in unfortunate rail accident in Odisha, my heart goes out to bereaved families. I pray for success of rescue operations, quick recovery of injured,” she wrote on Twitter.
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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said he has reviewed the situation and will be leaving for the site Saturday morning. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the state government is coordinating with Odisha and railway officials, with the train carrying many passengers from West Bengal.
“We are sending a 5- 6 members team to the spot to cooperate with the Odisha government and railway authorities and to assist rescue operations. I am monitoring the situation continually personally with Chief Secretary and other senior officers,” she wrote on Twitter.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin spoke to Naveen after the accident, and announced that he was deputing a four-member panel to coordinate the rescue of Tamils on the train.
With inputs from PTI
