Tag: Coromandel Express

  • Odisha government revises death toll in triple train crash to 288

    By PTI

    BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Tuesday revised the death toll in the Balasore train crash to 288.

    Speaking to reporters, Chief Secretary PK Jena said, 275 deaths were confirmed till Monday, and after verification of bodies, the figure was raised to 288.

    Jena said that 205 bodies of the total 288 have been identified so far and handed over to their families.

    The remaining 83 bodies were kept at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and other hospitals for identification, he said.

    “We have received many queries on the helpline numbers released by the government. We are optimistic that all bodies will be identified,” Jena said.

    He said the state government was bearing the cost of treatment of the injured, and transportation of bodies to respective destinations.

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 1.95 crore for ex-gratia payment to the families of 39 deceased persons from Odisha.

    According to the government, Rs 5 lakh will be given to the kin of each deceased person as ex-gratia. The money was being provided from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).

    BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Tuesday revised the death toll in the Balasore train crash to 288.

    Speaking to reporters, Chief Secretary PK Jena said, 275 deaths were confirmed till Monday, and after verification of bodies, the figure was raised to 288.

    Jena said that 205 bodies of the total 288 have been identified so far and handed over to their families.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The remaining 83 bodies were kept at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and other hospitals for identification, he said.

    “We have received many queries on the helpline numbers released by the government. We are optimistic that all bodies will be identified,” Jena said.

    He said the state government was bearing the cost of treatment of the injured, and transportation of bodies to respective destinations.

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 1.95 crore for ex-gratia payment to the families of 39 deceased persons from Odisha.

    According to the government, Rs 5 lakh will be given to the kin of each deceased person as ex-gratia. The money was being provided from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).

  • “TMC behind Odisha train accident,” alleges Suvendu Adhikari

    By ANI

    KOLKATA: The Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Monday alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was behind the Odisha train accident in which at least 275 people were killed.

    The triple train accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district on June 2.

    “This incident (Odisha train accident) is TMC’s conspiracy. They are behind the incident,” Adhikari alleged.

    “Why have they been panicking so much since yesterday when this incident is of another state? Why are they afraid of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation?” he said.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader referred to a purported audio clip of a conversation between two railway officials which was posted by TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Twitter on Sunday.

    He further said, “These people with the help of the police tapped the phones of both the railway officials. How did these people know the conversation between two railway officials? How the conversation got leaked. This should come in the CBI investigation. If it doesn’t come, I will go to court.”

    Earlier on Monday, stepping up her attack on the central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Railway Board’s decision to hand over the inquiry into the Odisha train accident to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) saying that “it is not the time to suppress the truth”.

    “I also gave Gyaneshwari Express case to CBI but no result came. 12 years over but we see no result. CBI handles criminal and accident cases. The Railway Safety Commission is there,” she further remarked.

    At least 275 people were killed, while more than 1,000 were injured in the accident that took place near the Bahanaga Bazar area.

    Mamata Banerjee arrived at the accident site in Balasore on Saturday to take stock of rescue operations and questioned why the Centre’s ‘Kavach’ system was missing from the track of the collision.

    Banerjee who was the Union Railway Minister termed the incident the “biggest railway accident of the 21st century” and said that this would not have happened if Kavach system was present.”Coromandel is one of the best express trains.

    “Coromandel is one of the best express trains. I was the Railway Minister thrice. From what I saw, this is the biggest railway accident of the 21st century. Such cases are handed over to Railway’s safety commission and they investigate and give a report. There was no anti-collision device on the train, as far as I know. Had the device been on the train, this would not have happened. The dead can’t be brought back but now our work is rescue operation and restoration of normalcy,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said on Saturday. said while addressing the reporters in Balasore in the presence of the Union Railway minister.

    READ MORE: Odisha train accident: Anti-collision device would have averted ‘biggest mishap of the century’, says Mamata

    Kavach is an indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) developed by the Ministry of Railways.

    After Mamata Banerjee questioned the Railways over the absence of the ‘Kavach’ system citing it as the reason behind the Balasore triple train tragedy, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the accident has nothing to do with the anti-collision system.

    Vaishnaw while speaking to ANI said that the accident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking.

    “It has nothing to do with Kavach. The reason is not what Mamata Banerjee said yesterday. This incident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking,” the Railway Minister told ANI.”This is an entirely different issue, it involves point machine, electronic interlocking. The change that occurred during electronic interlocking happened due to it. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after a proper investigation,” he added.

    KOLKATA: The Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Monday alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was behind the Odisha train accident in which at least 275 people were killed.

    The triple train accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district on June 2.

    “This incident (Odisha train accident) is TMC’s conspiracy. They are behind the incident,” Adhikari alleged.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Why have they been panicking so much since yesterday when this incident is of another state? Why are they afraid of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation?” he said.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader referred to a purported audio clip of a conversation between two railway officials which was posted by TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Twitter on Sunday.

    He further said, “These people with the help of the police tapped the phones of both the railway officials. How did these people know the conversation between two railway officials? How the conversation got leaked. This should come in the CBI investigation. If it doesn’t come, I will go to court.”

    Earlier on Monday, stepping up her attack on the central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Railway Board’s decision to hand over the inquiry into the Odisha train accident to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) saying that “it is not the time to suppress the truth”.

    “I also gave Gyaneshwari Express case to CBI but no result came. 12 years over but we see no result. CBI handles criminal and accident cases. The Railway Safety Commission is there,” she further remarked.

    At least 275 people were killed, while more than 1,000 were injured in the accident that took place near the Bahanaga Bazar area.

    Mamata Banerjee arrived at the accident site in Balasore on Saturday to take stock of rescue operations and questioned why the Centre’s ‘Kavach’ system was missing from the track of the collision.

    Banerjee who was the Union Railway Minister termed the incident the “biggest railway accident of the 21st century” and said that this would not have happened if Kavach system was present.”Coromandel is one of the best express trains.

    “Coromandel is one of the best express trains. I was the Railway Minister thrice. From what I saw, this is the biggest railway accident of the 21st century. Such cases are handed over to Railway’s safety commission and they investigate and give a report. There was no anti-collision device on the train, as far as I know. Had the device been on the train, this would not have happened. The dead can’t be brought back but now our work is rescue operation and restoration of normalcy,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said on Saturday. said while addressing the reporters in Balasore in the presence of the Union Railway minister.

    READ MORE: Odisha train accident: Anti-collision device would have averted ‘biggest mishap of the century’, says Mamata

    Kavach is an indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) developed by the Ministry of Railways.

    After Mamata Banerjee questioned the Railways over the absence of the ‘Kavach’ system citing it as the reason behind the Balasore triple train tragedy, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the accident has nothing to do with the anti-collision system.

    Vaishnaw while speaking to ANI said that the accident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking.

    “It has nothing to do with Kavach. The reason is not what Mamata Banerjee said yesterday. This incident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking,” the Railway Minister told ANI.”This is an entirely different issue, it involves point machine, electronic interlocking. The change that occurred during electronic interlocking happened due to it. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after a proper investigation,” he added.

  • Odisha train crash; Bengal family loses three sons and all breadwinners

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  The accident in Balasore has not only snatched away Subhadra Gayen’s three sons but also dried up the income of the 12-member family in Basanti, South 24-Parganas of West Bengal.

    The three brothers, Haran (47), Nishikanta (45) and Dibakar (41) were going to Andhra Pradesh to work as migrant labourers. They had promised Subhadra that they would come back after two months with their hard-earned money to take care of their children’s education and a better life for the family members.“Now, I and my daughters-in-law and their children do not know what we will do. I find no way out other than begging, which will be difficult to feed 12 of us,” said Subhadra.

    Basanti, a part of the Bay of Bengal’s Sunderbans region, is inhabited by migrant workers because of a lack of jobs in remote areas. The three left their village on Friday along with their two other neighbours Bikash Halder (24) and Sanjay Halder (28) to board the Coromandel Express from Shalimar station in Howrah.

    “We heard about the train accident on Friday night when a neighbour, who has a TV in his house, came to our house after watching the news. I started praying for the safety of my sons and spent sleepless night,” Subhadra said.

    “Next morning, the news of the death of Bikash and Sanjay came. I was counting the moments with a ray of hope that there would be good news for me. But my hope shattered when the local police came and informed me that my three sons were found dead in the mangled compartment in which they were travelling. Everything in front of me collapsed,” recounted Subhadra in her 70s, with tears rolling down her face.

    Anjita, Haran’s wife, was speechless and fainted several times since then. Nishikanta’s wife Rekha continued lamenting hugging her two children. “Dibakar’s wife Brihaspati said she was against her husband’s decision of going to Andhra Pradesh. I told him that I would also join him and work as daily labouer in our area.

    But he said getting a job of a daily labourer in our area is difficult. I even told him that we would start begging, but he did not listen to me. He left for Andhra with two brothers to earn money for our children’s education,” she said. According to state government officials, a total of 12 people lost their lives and 110 were injured from South 24-Paraganas.

    Haran, Nishikanta and Dibakar from Basanti, a part of Bay of Bengal’s Sunderbans region, were going to Andhra Pradesh to work as migrant labourers and promised their father they would come back after two months with money to take care of their children’s education and family members. A large number of migrant workers venture out to other states due to lack jobs in remote areas. 

    KOLKATA:  The accident in Balasore has not only snatched away Subhadra Gayen’s three sons but also dried up the income of the 12-member family in Basanti, South 24-Parganas of West Bengal.

    The three brothers, Haran (47), Nishikanta (45) and Dibakar (41) were going to Andhra Pradesh to work as migrant labourers. They had promised Subhadra that they would come back after two months with their hard-earned money to take care of their children’s education and a better life for the family members.
    “Now, I and my daughters-in-law and their children do not know what we will do. I find no way out other than begging, which will be difficult to feed 12 of us,” said Subhadra.

    Basanti, a part of the Bay of Bengal’s Sunderbans region, is inhabited by migrant workers because of a lack of jobs in remote areas. The three left their village on Friday along with their two other neighbours Bikash Halder (24) and Sanjay Halder (28) to board the Coromandel Express from Shalimar station in Howrah.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “We heard about the train accident on Friday night when a neighbour, who has a TV in his house, came to our house after watching the news. I started praying for the safety of my sons and spent sleepless night,” Subhadra said.

    “Next morning, the news of the death of Bikash and Sanjay came. I was counting the moments with a ray of hope that there would be good news for me. But my hope shattered when the local police came and informed me that my three sons were found dead in the mangled compartment in which they were travelling. Everything in front of me collapsed,” recounted Subhadra in her 70s, with tears rolling down her face.

    Anjita, Haran’s wife, was speechless and fainted several times since then. Nishikanta’s wife Rekha continued lamenting hugging her two children. “Dibakar’s wife Brihaspati said she was against her husband’s decision of going to Andhra Pradesh. I told him that I would also join him and work as daily labouer in our area.

    But he said getting a job of a daily labourer in our area is difficult. I even told him that we would start begging, but he did not listen to me. He left for Andhra with two brothers to earn money for our children’s education,” she said. According to state government officials, a total of 12 people lost their lives and 110 were injured from South 24-Paraganas.

    Haran, Nishikanta and Dibakar from Basanti, a part of Bay of Bengal’s Sunderbans region, were going to Andhra Pradesh to work as migrant labourers and promised their father they would come back after two months with money to take care of their children’s education and family members. A large number of migrant workers venture out to other states due to lack jobs in remote areas.
     

  • Odisha train crash: Railways seeks CBI probe, hints at sabotage; many bodies remain unidentified

    By PTI

    BALASORE/NEW DELHI: The railways on Sunday sought a CBI inquiry into the Balasore train crash, hours after minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the “root cause” of the accident and the people behind the “criminal” act have been identified.

    Railway officials also indicated that possible “sabotage” and tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, led to the Friday accident.

    However, several opposition parties stepped up pressure for Railway Minister Vaishnaw’s resignation, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling for fixing accountability from top to bottom.

    The BJP hit back, saying the track record of the Congress-led UPA government’s railway ministers was nothing short of a disaster and they should not politicise the issue. “We have recommended a CBI probe into the triple train accident,” Vaishnaw told reporters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening.

    Earlier in the day, he said the cause of the accident was related to an electric point machine and electronic interlocking. “The setting of the point machine was changed. How and why it was done will be revealed in the probe report.”

    “The root cause of the horrifying incident has been identified…I do not want to go into details. Let the report come out. I will just say that the root cause and the people responsible for the criminal act have been identified,” he said.

    The death toll in the three-train crash on Friday was revised to 275 from 288 by the Odisha government which said some bodies were counted twice earlier.

    With 187 bodies yet to be identified, keeping them till the time they are claimed by the victims’ kin is proving to be a challenge to the local administration.

    While 110 bodies were being kept at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the remaining have been sent to Capital Hospital, Amri Hospital, Sum Hospital and some other private facilities. Anxious relatives thronged the NOCCI Business Park to identify photos of passengers displayed by authorities.

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: Even ticketless travellers will receive compensation 

    Vaishnaw, who had been camping at the train accident site along with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, said two railway tracks have been restored on the main trunk line connecting eastern and southern India and overhead electrification work has also started. 

    The accident disrupted passenger and goods traffic between important industrial centres. The railways said 123 trains have been cancelled, 56 diverted, 10 short terminated, and 14 trains have been rescheduled for the period June 3-7.

    Officials said till the overhead electric cable is repaired, only diesel locomotives can be run and it may take another three days before electric trains can ply. The ministers said restoration work was being carried out on a war footing and efforts were on to send people affected back home.

    “By Tuesday we should be able to do it,” Pradhan said.

    In 51 hours after the Odisha train accident, restoration was done on the affected rail lines and the first freight train movement started on the affected section in the presence of the railway minister @AshwiniVaishnaw now.@NewIndianXpress@TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/umxIcswJEN
    — Rajesh Kumar Thakur (@hajipurrajesh) June 4, 2023
    Many patients — initially admitted to Balasore and other local hospitals — have been released or shifted to bigger cities with multi-speciality hospitals including Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. A large chunk of the passengers on both passenger trains were migrant workers.

    Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said that even if the victims were ticketless travellers, they will receive compensation. This is in line with a Supreme Court order, officials said.

    So far, the railways has disbursed Rs 3.22 crore as ex-gratia in 285 cases — 11 deaths, 50 grievous injuries and 224 minor injuries.

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: How did the derailment happen?

    ‘Could be tampering or sabotage from within or outside’

    Top railway officials, while explaining how the point machine and the interlocking system function, said the system is “error proof” and “fail safe” but did not rule out the possibility of outside intervention.

    “It is called a fail-safe system, so it means that even if it fails, all the signals will turn red and all train operations will stop. Now, as the minister said there was a problem with the signalling system. It could be that someone has done some digging without seeing the cables. Running of any machine is prone to failures,” Jaya Verma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board, said.

    An electric point machine is a vital device for railway signalling for quick operation and locking of point switches and plays an important role in the safe running of trains. Failure of these machines severely affects train movement and deficiencies at the time of installation can result in unsafe conditions.

    Railway officials virtually ruled out driver error and system malfunction and said there was “no question of over-speeding” by trains.

    A senior railway official who did not want to be identified said, “It could be a case of tampering or sabotage from within or from outside. We have not ruled anything out.”

    The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred around 7 PM on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.

    ALSO READ | Fatigued, staggered triple crash survivors from Tamil Nadu recount trauma

    Why was CAG report ignored: Opposition parties

    The Congress demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Odisha rail tragedy and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil and AICC’s publicity and media department head Pawan Khera alleged that it was a “man-made devastation caused by utter negligence, serious lapses in the system, incompetence, and a narcissistic sense of know-it-all attitude of the Modi government.”

    The Opposition party also said that Modi should accept part of the responsibility for the “mess” that it alleged that his government has inflicted on the Indian Railways and the people.

    “Unequivocally and unambiguously, we demand the resignation of the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Nothing short of it,” Khera said.

    In a series of tweets in Hindi, Kharge posed questions to the Modi government and alleged that “PR gimmicks” have made the working system of the dispensation “hollow”.

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee in its 323rd report criticised the Railways for the “disregard” shown by the Railway Board towards the recommendations of the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), Kharge said.

    “According to Comptroller and Auditor General, 79 per cent of funding was reduced in Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) when Rs 20,000 crore was to be made available every year. Why has there been a huge decline in the amount of track renewal works?” the Congress chief said.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too called for the resignation of Vaishnaw.

    The NCP also asked why the measures suggested in the 2022 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report to prevent train disasters were not implemented by the Centre.

    The party also alleged that the CAG report stated that train accidents were waiting to happen due to several shortcomings, but the railway ministry and the minister failed to take this warning seriously.

    Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto asked if Vaishnaw had read the CAG report. ‘If he did, then why was it not taken seriously and why were the suggestions of the CAG not put into implementation immediately?” he sought to know.

    “Is this not enough reason for Ashwini Vaishnaw to tender his resignation,” Crasto asked.

    The TMC, CPI and RJD have also demanded the railway minister’s resignation.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the death figures. “If from one state (West Bengal), 182 are missing and 61 are confirmed dead, then where would the figures stand?” she asked, addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna.

    Stating that Duronto Express trains introduced during her tenure as the railway minister were “pushed out of priority”, the TMC chief asked whether the engines of Vande Bharat Express trains introduced by the Modi government were up to the mark.

    ALSO READ | Five Nightmarish seconds; survivor recall the tragic train accident 

    Many bodies remain unidentified 

    The Odisha government on Sunday revised the accident death toll to 275 from 288 and put the number of injured at 1,175.

    Chief Secretary P K Jena told newspersons some bodies were counted twice. “After detailed verification and a report by Balasore District Collector, the final toll has been fixed at 275,” he said.

    Jena said 88 bodies have been identified so far and 78 handed over to their families.

    He added that the injured are being treated in different hospitals in Soro, Balasore, Bhadrak and Cuttack. “So far, 793 passengers have been discharged and 382 are being treated at government cost.”

    A team of doctors and experts from the AIIMS-Delhi and other central hospitals in the national capital have been rushed to Bhubaneswar through a special IAF flight. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is also in Odisha.

    “It is a real challenge for us to preserve the bodies here as we have a facility to keep a maximum of 40 bodies,” an official of AIIMS Bhubaneswar told PTI, adding that additional arrangements were made at the Anatomy department.

    Admitting that identification was a major challenge for the administration as the victims hailed from different states, the chief secretary said the state government has uploaded the details of the passengers on three websites of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).

    Lists and photographs of deceased passengers are also uploaded on the websites to facilitate identification.

    With better clarity finally emerging, here is the sequence of events that led to one of India’s worst rail accidents in #Odisha.#OdishaTrainAccident #OdishaTrainTragedy pic.twitter.com/0F4alfpDUH
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 4, 2023
    States trying to trace passengers 

    Of the 127 people hailing from Tamil Nadu who had reserved tickets for Coromandel Express, contact could not be established with eight people and the rest were safe, the state government said According to information received so far on the train accident, no person from Tamil Nadu was killed or injured warranting treatment, it said.

    Exhausted and traumatised, 137 survivors arrived in Chennai on Sunday by a special train from Bhadrak.

    Recalling the ordeal, Murugan said he and others could feel their coach tilting rapidly and falling on one side and many people were injured severely. “It was pitch dark, cries of people could be heard, and many lay dead.”

    The Andhra Pradesh government has identified that 695 passengers from the state were on the two trains but 28 passengers were untraced, Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana said.

    The minister said one passenger from the state – Gurumurthy, hailing from Sonthabommali village in Srikakulam district – died in the accident.

    However, 22 passengers were injured, one with a severe head injury, and efforts are on to trace 28 passengers who could not be contacted, he said.

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: Love poems found scattered on tracks 

    US says it mourns alongside the people of India 

    As messages of condolences and support continued to pour in from across the world, US President Joe Biden said he is heartbroken by the tragic news of the train crash in India.

    “(First Lady Dr) Jill (Biden) and I are heartbroken by the tragic news of the deadly train crash in India. Our prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones and the many who suffered injuries in this terrible incident,” he said in a statement.

    “The United States and India share deep bonds rooted in the ties of family and culture that unite our two nations and people all across America mourn alongside the people of India. As the recovery effort continues, we will hold the people of India in our thoughts,” Biden said.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, who is currently on a visit to Namibia. “Thank @SecBlinken for the phone call expressing his support and sympathy on the Odisha railway accident. Such sentiments are deeply valued at this difficult time,” the external affairs minister tweeted.

    BALASORE/NEW DELHI: The railways on Sunday sought a CBI inquiry into the Balasore train crash, hours after minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the “root cause” of the accident and the people behind the “criminal” act have been identified.

    Railway officials also indicated that possible “sabotage” and tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, led to the Friday accident.

    However, several opposition parties stepped up pressure for Railway Minister Vaishnaw’s resignation, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling for fixing accountability from top to bottom.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    The BJP hit back, saying the track record of the Congress-led UPA government’s railway ministers was nothing short of a disaster and they should not politicise the issue. “We have recommended a CBI probe into the triple train accident,” Vaishnaw told reporters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening.

    Earlier in the day, he said the cause of the accident was related to an electric point machine and electronic interlocking. “The setting of the point machine was changed. How and why it was done will be revealed in the probe report.”

    “The root cause of the horrifying incident has been identified…I do not want to go into details. Let the report come out. I will just say that the root cause and the people responsible for the criminal act have been identified,” he said.

    The death toll in the three-train crash on Friday was revised to 275 from 288 by the Odisha government which said some bodies were counted twice earlier.

    With 187 bodies yet to be identified, keeping them till the time they are claimed by the victims’ kin is proving to be a challenge to the local administration.

    While 110 bodies were being kept at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the remaining have been sent to Capital Hospital, Amri Hospital, Sum Hospital and some other private facilities. Anxious relatives thronged the NOCCI Business Park to identify photos of passengers displayed by authorities.

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: Even ticketless travellers will receive compensation 

    Vaishnaw, who had been camping at the train accident site along with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, said two railway tracks have been restored on the main trunk line connecting eastern and southern India and overhead electrification work has also started. 

    The accident disrupted passenger and goods traffic between important industrial centres. The railways said 123 trains have been cancelled, 56 diverted, 10 short terminated, and 14 trains have been rescheduled for the period June 3-7.

    Officials said till the overhead electric cable is repaired, only diesel locomotives can be run and it may take another three days before electric trains can ply. The ministers said restoration work was being carried out on a war footing and efforts were on to send people affected back home.

    “By Tuesday we should be able to do it,” Pradhan said.

    In 51 hours after the Odisha train accident, restoration was done on the affected rail lines and the first freight train movement started on the affected section in the presence of the railway minister @AshwiniVaishnaw now.@NewIndianXpress@TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/umxIcswJEN
    — Rajesh Kumar Thakur (@hajipurrajesh) June 4, 2023
    Many patients — initially admitted to Balasore and other local hospitals — have been released or shifted to bigger cities with multi-speciality hospitals including Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. A large chunk of the passengers on both passenger trains were migrant workers.

    Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said that even if the victims were ticketless travellers, they will receive compensation. This is in line with a Supreme Court order, officials said.

    So far, the railways has disbursed Rs 3.22 crore as ex-gratia in 285 cases — 11 deaths, 50 grievous injuries and 224 minor injuries.

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: How did the derailment happen?

    ‘Could be tampering or sabotage from within or outside’

    Top railway officials, while explaining how the point machine and the interlocking system function, said the system is “error proof” and “fail safe” but did not rule out the possibility of outside intervention.

    “It is called a fail-safe system, so it means that even if it fails, all the signals will turn red and all train operations will stop. Now, as the minister said there was a problem with the signalling system. It could be that someone has done some digging without seeing the cables. Running of any machine is prone to failures,” Jaya Verma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board, said.

    An electric point machine is a vital device for railway signalling for quick operation and locking of point switches and plays an important role in the safe running of trains. Failure of these machines severely affects train movement and deficiencies at the time of installation can result in unsafe conditions.

    Railway officials virtually ruled out driver error and system malfunction and said there was “no question of over-speeding” by trains.

    A senior railway official who did not want to be identified said, “It could be a case of tampering or sabotage from within or from outside. We have not ruled anything out.”

    The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred around 7 PM on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.

    ALSO READ | Fatigued, staggered triple crash survivors from Tamil Nadu recount trauma

    Why was CAG report ignored: Opposition parties

    The Congress demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Odisha rail tragedy and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil and AICC’s publicity and media department head Pawan Khera alleged that it was a “man-made devastation caused by utter negligence, serious lapses in the system, incompetence, and a narcissistic sense of know-it-all attitude of the Modi government.”

    The Opposition party also said that Modi should accept part of the responsibility for the “mess” that it alleged that his government has inflicted on the Indian Railways and the people.

    “Unequivocally and unambiguously, we demand the resignation of the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Nothing short of it,” Khera said.

    In a series of tweets in Hindi, Kharge posed questions to the Modi government and alleged that “PR gimmicks” have made the working system of the dispensation “hollow”.

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee in its 323rd report criticised the Railways for the “disregard” shown by the Railway Board towards the recommendations of the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), Kharge said.

    “According to Comptroller and Auditor General, 79 per cent of funding was reduced in Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) when Rs 20,000 crore was to be made available every year. Why has there been a huge decline in the amount of track renewal works?” the Congress chief said.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too called for the resignation of Vaishnaw.

    The NCP also asked why the measures suggested in the 2022 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report to prevent train disasters were not implemented by the Centre.

    The party also alleged that the CAG report stated that train accidents were waiting to happen due to several shortcomings, but the railway ministry and the minister failed to take this warning seriously.

    Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto asked if Vaishnaw had read the CAG report. ‘If he did, then why was it not taken seriously and why were the suggestions of the CAG not put into implementation immediately?” he sought to know.

    “Is this not enough reason for Ashwini Vaishnaw to tender his resignation,” Crasto asked.

    The TMC, CPI and RJD have also demanded the railway minister’s resignation.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the death figures. “If from one state (West Bengal), 182 are missing and 61 are confirmed dead, then where would the figures stand?” she asked, addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna.

    Stating that Duronto Express trains introduced during her tenure as the railway minister were “pushed out of priority”, the TMC chief asked whether the engines of Vande Bharat Express trains introduced by the Modi government were up to the mark.

    ALSO READ | Five Nightmarish seconds; survivor recall the tragic train accident 

    Many bodies remain unidentified 

    The Odisha government on Sunday revised the accident death toll to 275 from 288 and put the number of injured at 1,175.

    Chief Secretary P K Jena told newspersons some bodies were counted twice. “After detailed verification and a report by Balasore District Collector, the final toll has been fixed at 275,” he said.

    Jena said 88 bodies have been identified so far and 78 handed over to their families.

    He added that the injured are being treated in different hospitals in Soro, Balasore, Bhadrak and Cuttack. “So far, 793 passengers have been discharged and 382 are being treated at government cost.”

    A team of doctors and experts from the AIIMS-Delhi and other central hospitals in the national capital have been rushed to Bhubaneswar through a special IAF flight. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is also in Odisha.

    “It is a real challenge for us to preserve the bodies here as we have a facility to keep a maximum of 40 bodies,” an official of AIIMS Bhubaneswar told PTI, adding that additional arrangements were made at the Anatomy department.

    Admitting that identification was a major challenge for the administration as the victims hailed from different states, the chief secretary said the state government has uploaded the details of the passengers on three websites of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).

    Lists and photographs of deceased passengers are also uploaded on the websites to facilitate identification.

    With better clarity finally emerging, here is the sequence of events that led to one of India’s worst rail accidents in #Odisha.#OdishaTrainAccident #OdishaTrainTragedy pic.twitter.com/0F4alfpDUH
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 4, 2023
    States trying to trace passengers 

    Of the 127 people hailing from Tamil Nadu who had reserved tickets for Coromandel Express, contact could not be established with eight people and the rest were safe, the state government said According to information received so far on the train accident, no person from Tamil Nadu was killed or injured warranting treatment, it said.

    Exhausted and traumatised, 137 survivors arrived in Chennai on Sunday by a special train from Bhadrak.

    Recalling the ordeal, Murugan said he and others could feel their coach tilting rapidly and falling on one side and many people were injured severely. “It was pitch dark, cries of people could be heard, and many lay dead.”

    The Andhra Pradesh government has identified that 695 passengers from the state were on the two trains but 28 passengers were untraced, Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana said.

    The minister said one passenger from the state – Gurumurthy, hailing from Sonthabommali village in Srikakulam district – died in the accident.

    However, 22 passengers were injured, one with a severe head injury, and efforts are on to trace 28 passengers who could not be contacted, he said.

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: Love poems found scattered on tracks 

    US says it mourns alongside the people of India 

    As messages of condolences and support continued to pour in from across the world, US President Joe Biden said he is heartbroken by the tragic news of the train crash in India.

    “(First Lady Dr) Jill (Biden) and I are heartbroken by the tragic news of the deadly train crash in India. Our prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones and the many who suffered injuries in this terrible incident,” he said in a statement.

    “The United States and India share deep bonds rooted in the ties of family and culture that unite our two nations and people all across America mourn alongside the people of India. As the recovery effort continues, we will hold the people of India in our thoughts,” Biden said.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, who is currently on a visit to Namibia. “Thank @SecBlinken for the phone call expressing his support and sympathy on the Odisha railway accident. Such sentiments are deeply valued at this difficult time,” the external affairs minister tweeted.

  • Odisha train crash: Toll climbs to 288, initial report blames human error and signal failure

    Express News Service

    BAHANAGA: The death toll in the tragic triple-train collision near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district climbed up to 288 on Saturday as rescue teams recovered more bodies that were trapped inside the ill-fated trains.

    The Indian army has also been pressed into service as several passengers are still feared trapped. The casualty figures may rise further.

    Tragedy struck when the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express rammed into a stationary goods train nearly 100 metres before Bahanaga station, about 180 km from Bhubaneswar, and jumped off the track. While at least 12 coaches of the train capsized, its engine went up and landed on the goods train in the impact of the collision.

    Railway sources said the tragic accident, one of the deadliest train mishaps after 1990, involved three trains as two general bogies of Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru-Howrah Daily Superfast Express, which was coming in the opposite direction got derailed after some of the capsized coaches of Coromandel Express collided with them.

    An initial joint inspection report by the Kharagpur railway division officials revealed that the track joints were incorrectly positioned, and the signal panel in the station master’s room failed to synchronize with them at Bahanaga Bazar station.

    “The goods train was in a stationary position on the loop line and the signal was given for movement of the train on the Up line. But we are still unable to understand how the Coromandel Express that was supposed to pass through the Up line (main line) came on the loop line and hit the goods train,” said a railway official posted at Bahanaga station on condition of anonymity.

    In one of the worst railway disasters in India, at least 280 people were killed and more than 900 injured when three trains collided one after another in a horrific sequence in #Odisha’s Balasore district.#BalasoreTrainAccident #OdishaTrainTragedy #TrainAccident pic.twitter.com/HLa6zIzsdB
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 3, 2023
    Railway board chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, who visited the spot, said the Commissioner railway safety of South East Circle AM Chowdhary has been tasked to inquire into the accident and find out the exact cause.

    “No one will be spared. Let the preliminary inquiry get over,” he said.

    Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also visited the spot and inspected the capsized coaches. He interacted with some of the injured and rescued passengers.

    “A high-level probe has been ordered. We will go to the root of the cause. We are now focusing on the rescue operation as a priority. Men and machinery have been mobilized from different places to rescue the trapped passengers and get them treated at the earliest,” he said.

    ALSO READ: “People were groaning in pain, crying for help”: Passengers in Odisha train tragedy recount horror experience

    Rabi Ranjan Singh, an engineer from Howrah recalled the horrific moments. “I heard a huge shudder and a sharp jerk accompanied by a screeching sound when we were discussing some family matters. Before I could realize what happened, people in our B1 air-conditioning coach fell one after another. The next thing I knew I was on the floor of the compartment. Luggage was strewn around and some of my co-passengers were shouting.”

    “By the time we found our feet and looked out the window of the coach, what we saw jolted us further. Barring the B1 and B2 AC coaches, the rest of the AC coaches had jumped off the tracks. We were lucky that the derailment did not cause any major injuries to our nine-member family on board Coromandel Express. The impact on the coaches from the engine was severe,” he said.

    Singh’s family has taken shelter at a nearby building and is planning to go back to Howrah. 

    READ MORE: PM Modi to visit train accident site, hospital in Odisha

    The Odisha government issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).

    BAHANAGA: The death toll in the tragic triple-train collision near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district climbed up to 288 on Saturday as rescue teams recovered more bodies that were trapped inside the ill-fated trains.

    The Indian army has also been pressed into service as several passengers are still feared trapped. The casualty figures may rise further.

    Tragedy struck when the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express rammed into a stationary goods train nearly 100 metres before Bahanaga station, about 180 km from Bhubaneswar, and jumped off the track. While at least 12 coaches of the train capsized, its engine went up and landed on the goods train in the impact of the collision.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Railway sources said the tragic accident, one of the deadliest train mishaps after 1990, involved three trains as two general bogies of Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru-Howrah Daily Superfast Express, which was coming in the opposite direction got derailed after some of the capsized coaches of Coromandel Express collided with them.

    An initial joint inspection report by the Kharagpur railway division officials revealed that the track joints were incorrectly positioned, and the signal panel in the station master’s room failed to synchronize with them at Bahanaga Bazar station.

    “The goods train was in a stationary position on the loop line and the signal was given for movement of the train on the Up line. But we are still unable to understand how the Coromandel Express that was supposed to pass through the Up line (main line) came on the loop line and hit the goods train,” said a railway official posted at Bahanaga station on condition of anonymity.

    In one of the worst railway disasters in India, at least 280 people were killed and more than 900 injured when three trains collided one after another in a horrific sequence in #Odisha’s Balasore district.#BalasoreTrainAccident #OdishaTrainTragedy #TrainAccident pic.twitter.com/HLa6zIzsdB
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 3, 2023
    Railway board chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, who visited the spot, said the Commissioner railway safety of South East Circle AM Chowdhary has been tasked to inquire into the accident and find out the exact cause.

    “No one will be spared. Let the preliminary inquiry get over,” he said.

    Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also visited the spot and inspected the capsized coaches. He interacted with some of the injured and rescued passengers.

    “A high-level probe has been ordered. We will go to the root of the cause. We are now focusing on the rescue operation as a priority. Men and machinery have been mobilized from different places to rescue the trapped passengers and get them treated at the earliest,” he said.

    ALSO READ: “People were groaning in pain, crying for help”: Passengers in Odisha train tragedy recount horror experience

    Rabi Ranjan Singh, an engineer from Howrah recalled the horrific moments. “I heard a huge shudder and a sharp jerk accompanied by a screeching sound when we were discussing some family matters. Before I could realize what happened, people in our B1 air-conditioning coach fell one after another. The next thing I knew I was on the floor of the compartment. Luggage was strewn around and some of my co-passengers were shouting.”

    “By the time we found our feet and looked out the window of the coach, what we saw jolted us further. Barring the B1 and B2 AC coaches, the rest of the AC coaches had jumped off the tracks. We were lucky that the derailment did not cause any major injuries to our nine-member family on board Coromandel Express. The impact on the coaches from the engine was severe,” he said.

    Singh’s family has taken shelter at a nearby building and is planning to go back to Howrah. 

    READ MORE: PM Modi to visit train accident site, hospital in Odisha

    The Odisha government issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).

  • Odisha train crash: Passenger on Coromandel Express narrates sequence of events

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Anubhav Das, a passenger on the Coromandel Express that was involved in a horrific triple train crash on Friday, has posted an eyewitness account of the tragedy on Twitter.

    In a series of tweets, Das has described how the accident unfolded.

    “As a passenger on the Coromandel Express from Howrah to Chennai, I am extremely thankful to have escaped unscathed. It probably is the biggest train accident-related incident.”

    “Three trains were involved in the accident — Coromandel Express 12841, Yesvantpur-Howrah SF and a goods train. Initial impressions are that the Coromandel Express derailed and collided with the goods train (parked on the loop track on the side),” he said.

    Das said subsequently, the derailed coaches were hit by the oncoming Yesvantpur Express on a nearby track.

    In one of the tweets, he said: “3 general coaches of Yesvantpur Express are completely damaged and derailed. Almost 13 coaches of Coromandel Express including general, sleeper, AC 3 tier and AC 2 tier are completely damaged.”

    Not to exaggerate but I have witnessed more than 200-250 deaths. Families were crushed, limbless bodies and a bloodbath on the train tracks. It was a sight that I will never forget. God help the families. My condolences.”

    At least 238 people have been killed and more than 900 injured in the train crash, according to officials.

    NEW DELHI: Anubhav Das, a passenger on the Coromandel Express that was involved in a horrific triple train crash on Friday, has posted an eyewitness account of the tragedy on Twitter.

    In a series of tweets, Das has described how the accident unfolded.

    “As a passenger on the Coromandel Express from Howrah to Chennai, I am extremely thankful to have escaped unscathed. It probably is the biggest train accident-related incident.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Three trains were involved in the accident — Coromandel Express 12841, Yesvantpur-Howrah SF and a goods train. Initial impressions are that the Coromandel Express derailed and collided with the goods train (parked on the loop track on the side),” he said.

    Das said subsequently, the derailed coaches were hit by the oncoming Yesvantpur Express on a nearby track.

    In one of the tweets, he said: “3 general coaches of Yesvantpur Express are completely damaged and derailed. Almost 13 coaches of Coromandel Express including general, sleeper, AC 3 tier and AC 2 tier are completely damaged.”

    Not to exaggerate but I have witnessed more than 200-250 deaths. Families were crushed, limbless bodies and a bloodbath on the train tracks. It was a sight that I will never forget. God help the families. My condolences.”

    At least 238 people have been killed and more than 900 injured in the train crash, according to officials.

  • 233 killed, around 900 injured in Odisha triple train crash

    By Express News Service

    BALASORE: In one of the worst railway disasters in India, at least 233 people were killed and more than 900 injured when three trains collided one after another in a horrific sequence in Odisha’s Balasore district, setting off a massive rescue and evacuation process, officials said on Saturday.

    “Death toll rises to 233 in the Balasore Train Accident,” Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena tweeted.

    The train crash happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday, prompting the Railway Ministry to order a probe.

    The inquiry into the train accident will be led by A M Chowdhary, Commissioner Railway Safety, South East Circle, the Indian Railways said in a statement. The Commissioner Railway Safety comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

    Several coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, on the way to Howrah, derailed and fell on adjacent tracks, an official said.

    Bodies recovered from passenger trains lay on the track at the site of an accident, in Balasore district, in Orissa, Saturday, June 3, 2023.  (Photo | AP)

    “These derailed coaches collided with the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and its coaches capsized too,” he said.

    A goods train was also involved in the accident as some of the coaches of the Coromandel Express, which was heading to Chennai, hit its wagons after getting derailed, he added.

    Gas cutters were used to extricate the bodies from under the derailed coaches. “Some of the scenes at the site were too gory to describe,” said a passenger.

    Railway tracks were almost destroyed at the spot as mangled coaches lay strewn all over, with some having mounted on another, while a few coaches turned turtle due to the impact.

    Pijush Poddar, a resident of Berhampore in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, was travelling to Tamil Nadu in the Coromandel Express to join work there when the accident happened.

    “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.

    Officials in Bhubaneswar said 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units were working at the accident site, besides 1,200 personnel. The bodies were being taken to the hospitals in all kinds of vehicles, including tractors.

    Locals said they heard consecutive loud sounds, following which they rushed to the spot and found the derailed coaches, which were nothing but “a mangled heap of steel”.

    Rescuers work at the site of passenger trains accident, in Balasore district, in Orissa, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (Photo | AP)

    “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.

    Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared one-day state mourning on Saturday in the wake of the deadly triple train crash.

    State Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahoo said those injured in the accident were undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

    All government and private hospitals have been put on alert in the nearby districts, including the AIIMS at Bhubaneswar.

    Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was on the way to the spot, said the Air Force was also called in for assisting the rescue operations.

    “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.

    More than 2,000 people gathered at the Balasore Medical College and Hospital in the night to help the injured, and many also donated blood.

    Chief Secretary Jena thanked the volunteers who donated blood to the accident victims in their hour of need.

    “Five hundred units of blood collected overnight here at Balasore. Nine hundred units in stock at present. This will help in treating the accident victims. I’m personally indebted & grateful to all the volunteers who’ve donated blood for a noble cause,” Jena tweeted.

    The railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who got minor injuries.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressed his distress over the accident, and announced an additional ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

    “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 @AshwiniVaishnaw 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,” he tweeted.

    The Odisha government issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).

    Expressing concern over the accident, in which a large number of people from West Bengal were involved, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was monitoring the situation along with the chief secretary and other officials.

    West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said the state was sending a team led by minister Manas Bhunia and MP Dola Sen to the spot.

    So far, 18 long-distance trains have been cancelled due to the accident, which happened on the Howrah-Chennai main line in the Kharagpur division of the South Eastern Railway.

    BALASORE: In one of the worst railway disasters in India, at least 233 people were killed and more than 900 injured when three trains collided one after another in a horrific sequence in Odisha’s Balasore district, setting off a massive rescue and evacuation process, officials said on Saturday.

    “Death toll rises to 233 in the Balasore Train Accident,” Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena tweeted.

    The train crash happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday, prompting the Railway Ministry to order a probe.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The inquiry into the train accident will be led by A M Chowdhary, Commissioner Railway Safety, South East Circle, the Indian Railways said in a statement. The Commissioner Railway Safety comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

    Several coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, on the way to Howrah, derailed and fell on adjacent tracks, an official said.

    Bodies recovered from passenger trains lay on the track at the site of an accident, in Balasore district, in Orissa, Saturday, June 3, 2023.  (Photo | AP)

    “These derailed coaches collided with the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and its coaches capsized too,” he said.

    A goods train was also involved in the accident as some of the coaches of the Coromandel Express, which was heading to Chennai, hit its wagons after getting derailed, he added.

    Gas cutters were used to extricate the bodies from under the derailed coaches. “Some of the scenes at the site were too gory to describe,” said a passenger.

    Railway tracks were almost destroyed at the spot as mangled coaches lay strewn all over, with some having mounted on another, while a few coaches turned turtle due to the impact.

    Pijush Poddar, a resident of Berhampore in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, was travelling to Tamil Nadu in the Coromandel Express to join work there when the accident happened.

    “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.

    Officials in Bhubaneswar said 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units were working at the accident site, besides 1,200 personnel. The bodies were being taken to the hospitals in all kinds of vehicles, including tractors.

    Locals said they heard consecutive loud sounds, following which they rushed to the spot and found the derailed coaches, which were nothing but “a mangled heap of steel”.

    Rescuers work at the site of passenger trains accident, in Balasore district, in Orissa, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (Photo | AP)

    “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.

    Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared one-day state mourning on Saturday in the wake of the deadly triple train crash.

    State Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahoo said those injured in the accident were undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

    All government and private hospitals have been put on alert in the nearby districts, including the AIIMS at Bhubaneswar.

    Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was on the way to the spot, said the Air Force was also called in for assisting the rescue operations.

    “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.

    More than 2,000 people gathered at the Balasore Medical College and Hospital in the night to help the injured, and many also donated blood.

    Chief Secretary Jena thanked the volunteers who donated blood to the accident victims in their hour of need.

    “Five hundred units of blood collected overnight here at Balasore. Nine hundred units in stock at present. This will help in treating the accident victims. I’m personally indebted & grateful to all the volunteers who’ve donated blood for a noble cause,” Jena tweeted.

    The railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who got minor injuries.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressed his distress over the accident, and announced an additional ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

    “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 @AshwiniVaishnaw 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,” he tweeted.

    The Odisha government issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).

    Expressing concern over the accident, in which a large number of people from West Bengal were involved, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was monitoring the situation along with the chief secretary and other officials.

    West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said the state was sending a team led by minister Manas Bhunia and MP Dola Sen to the spot.

    So far, 18 long-distance trains have been cancelled due to the accident, which happened on the Howrah-Chennai main line in the Kharagpur division of the South Eastern Railway.

  • Over 30 dead, hundreds trapped as Coromandel Express rams into derailed coaches of another train in Odisha

    Express News Service

    BHUBANESWAR: Over 30 passengers are believed to have died while hundreds are trapped in one of the most horrific railway accidents in recent years when an express train collided with the derailed coaches of another express train at Bahanaga railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday evening.

    The accident took place when the Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Superfast Express rammed into two derailed coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express at Bahanaga railway station in the Bhadrak section of the South Eastern railway. Bahanaga railway station is about 180 km from Bhubaneswar.

    #TrainAccident: Here are the helpline numbers issued by the government and Railways.#CoromondelExpress #Odisha #Balasore pic.twitter.com/w2BUg2TGuA
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 2, 2023
    Under the impact of the collision, at least 15 coaches of the Coromandel Express went into a tailspin and capsized. The casualties could well rise as rescue and relief teams found evacuation extremely difficult as passengers lay crushed under the capsized coaches.

    The Coromandel Express which bore the brunt of the impact has a passenger capacity of 1516.

    Going by preliminary reports, the deaths could well go beyond 30. Another source said the death toll could reach 70.

    The Odisha government and Indian Railways mounted a massive rescue operation but found it difficult to move the injured from the site to different hospitals of Balasore.

    Railway sources said two bogies of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express moving down line first derailed at the station and hit the Coromandel Express coming on the Up track at about 7 pm. At least 15 coaches of the Coromandel Express jumped off the track in the impact.

    A visual inside a coach of the wrecked Coromandel Express shows horrors of the train mishap in Balasore district of Odisha@NewIndianXpress @santwana99 @Siba_TNIE pic.twitter.com/e7X0HFagPR
    — TNIE Odisha (@XpressOdisha) June 2, 2023
    As news of the accident spread in the locality, hundreds of locals rushed to the spot to rescue trapped passengers. Sources said more than 300 injured passengers have been rescued so far and over 600 are still trapped.

    The state government deputed DG fire services Sudhanshu Sarangi to monitor rescue operations. Four teams of Odisha disaster rapid action force (ODRAF) and four teams of national disaster response force (NDRF) teams have been sent for rescue operations.

    Collector Balasore Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde has been directed to make all necessary arrangements. The injured passengers have been admitted to Soro CHC, Gopalpur CHC and Khantapada PHC.

    First visuals of the Coromandel Express mishap in Balasore district, the express train is believed to have rammed into a stationary goods train, casualties feared as passengers are trapped #Odisha @NewIndianXpress @santwana99 @Siba_TNIE pic.twitter.com/DZPhLWsGGr
    — TNIE Odisha (@XpressOdisha) June 2, 2023
    As many as 50 ambulances and 15 fire fighting teams from Balasore and Bhadrak districts have been pressed into service.  However, the number of injured was so high that the ambulances were finding it difficult to move the injured. Relief trains from Kharagpur and Bhadrak were rushed to the spot.

    Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik deputed Revenue Minister Pramila Mallick and several senior bureaucrats, including special relief commissioner Satyabrata Sahu and industries secretary Hemant Sharma, to supervise and support rescue operations. Naveen also rushed to the state control room to personally monitor the rescue and relief operation.

    Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her shock over the incident and announced a six-member team that will reach the spot to assist the Odisha government and railway authorities in rescue operations.

    Chief secretary PK Jena said all efforts are in full swing. “Praying God to help the commuters. Other arrangements are also being made. Treatment for the injured in all Govt / pvt hospitals planned,” he tweeted.

    He said, “We are sending a 5-6 member 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.”

    BHUBANESWAR: Over 30 passengers are believed to have died while hundreds are trapped in one of the most horrific railway accidents in recent years when an express train collided with the derailed coaches of another express train at Bahanaga railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday evening.

    The accident took place when the Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Superfast Express rammed into two derailed coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express at Bahanaga railway station in the Bhadrak section of the South Eastern railway. Bahanaga railway station is about 180 km from Bhubaneswar.

    #TrainAccident: Here are the helpline numbers issued by the government and Railways.#CoromondelExpress #Odisha #Balasore pic.twitter.com/w2BUg2TGuAgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 2, 2023
    Under the impact of the collision, at least 15 coaches of the Coromandel Express went into a tailspin and capsized. The casualties could well rise as rescue and relief teams found evacuation extremely difficult as passengers lay crushed under the capsized coaches.

    The Coromandel Express which bore the brunt of the impact has a passenger capacity of 1516.

    Going by preliminary reports, the deaths could well go beyond 30. Another source said the death toll could reach 70.

    The Odisha government and Indian Railways mounted a massive rescue operation but found it difficult to move the injured from the site to different hospitals of Balasore.

    Railway sources said two bogies of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express moving down line first derailed at the station and hit the Coromandel Express coming on the Up track at about 7 pm. At least 15 coaches of the Coromandel Express jumped off the track in the impact.

    A visual inside a coach of the wrecked Coromandel Express shows horrors of the train mishap in Balasore district of Odisha@NewIndianXpress @santwana99 @Siba_TNIE pic.twitter.com/e7X0HFagPR
    — TNIE Odisha (@XpressOdisha) June 2, 2023
    As news of the accident spread in the locality, hundreds of locals rushed to the spot to rescue trapped passengers. Sources said more than 300 injured passengers have been rescued so far and over 600 are still trapped.

    The state government deputed DG fire services Sudhanshu Sarangi to monitor rescue operations. Four teams of Odisha disaster rapid action force (ODRAF) and four teams of national disaster response force (NDRF) teams have been sent for rescue operations.

    Collector Balasore Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde has been directed to make all necessary arrangements. The injured passengers have been admitted to Soro CHC, Gopalpur CHC and Khantapada PHC.

    First visuals of the Coromandel Express mishap in Balasore district, the express train is believed to have rammed into a stationary goods train, casualties feared as passengers are trapped #Odisha @NewIndianXpress @santwana99 @Siba_TNIE pic.twitter.com/DZPhLWsGGr
    — TNIE Odisha (@XpressOdisha) June 2, 2023
    As many as 50 ambulances and 15 fire fighting teams from Balasore and Bhadrak districts have been pressed into service.  However, the number of injured was so high that the ambulances were finding it difficult to move the injured. Relief trains from Kharagpur and Bhadrak were rushed to the spot.

    Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik deputed Revenue Minister Pramila Mallick and several senior bureaucrats, including special relief commissioner Satyabrata Sahu and industries secretary Hemant Sharma, to supervise and support rescue operations. Naveen also rushed to the state control room to personally monitor the rescue and relief operation.

    Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her shock over the incident and announced a six-member team that will reach the spot to assist the Odisha government and railway authorities in rescue operations.

    Chief secretary PK Jena said all efforts are in full swing. “Praying God to help the commuters. Other arrangements are also being made. Treatment for the injured in all Govt / pvt hospitals planned,” he tweeted.

    He said, “We are sending a 5-6 member 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.”