BALASORE/HOWRAH,
Bengaluru-Howrah Express trains derails on Coromandel train whose coaches hit goods train in Odisha
AT LEAST 50 people died and
350 people were injured as a
three-sway accident involving
Bengaluru-Howrah superfast
express, the Coromandel
Express and goods train on
three separate tracks occurred
at Bahanagar in Odisha’s
Balasore district.
A railway official said that
several coaches of 12864
Bengaluru-Howrah superfast
express travelling to Howrah,
derailed at Bahanagabazar and
fell on the up line.
“These derailed coaches collided with 12841 ShalimarChennai Coromandel Express
and its coaches capsized too,”
he said. A goods train was also
involved in the accident as the
coaches of the Coromandel
Express hit its wagons after getting derailed, the official said.
The accident occurred at
around 7 pm, about 255 kms
from Howrah, he said.
Odisha’s Special Relief
Commissioner Satyabrata
Sahoo said 47 people have so
far been admitted to the
Balasore Medical College and
Hospital.
A PTI reporter at the
spot said several people were
trapped under the coaches, and
locals were assisting emergency services personnel to
rescue them, but darkness was
hindering the operation.
Odisha’s Chief Secretary
Pradeep Jena said 132 injured
persons were admitted to Soro,
Gopalpur and Khantapada
health centres, while 47 people were admitted to Balasore
Medical College and Hospital. Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik directed Special Relief
Secretary Satyabrata Sahoo and
Revenue Minister Pramila
Malik to rush to the accident
site, officials said.
Accident relief trains have
been dispatched to the spot, a
South Eastern Railway official
said. Four units of the Odisha
Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), three units of
NDRF and 60 ambulances
were working to rescue the
injured, officials said.
The Odisha government
has issued helpline 06782-
262286.Therailwayhelplines
are 033-26382217 (Howrah),
8972073925 (Kharagpur),
8249591559 (Balasore) and
044- 25330952 (Chennai).
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said he was distressed
by the accident, and spoke
with Railway Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw to take
stock of the situation.
“Distressed by the train
accident in Odisha. In this
hourofgrief,mythoughtsare
with the bereaved families.
Maytheinjuredrecoversoon.
Spoke to Railway Minister
@AshwiniVaishnawandtook
stockofthesituation.Rescue
ops are underway at the site
of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given
to those affected,” he tweeted. West Bengal Chief
Secretary HK Dwivedi said
the statewas sending a team
led by minister Manas
Bhunia and MP Dola Sen to
the spot.
WestBengalChiefMinister
Mamata Banerjee said she
was personally monitoring
the situation along with the
chiefsecretaryandotherofficials.
“We arecoordinatingwith
Odisha government and
South Eastern Railways for
our people’s sake. Our emergencycontrolroomhasbeen
activated at once with numbers 033- 22143526/
22535185. All out efforts for
rescue, retrieval, aid and
assistance initiated,” she
tweeted.
DISTRESSED BY TRAIN
ACCIDENTIN ODISHA:PM
MODI:EXPRESSINGdistress
over the train accident in
Odisha, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Friday
said rescue operations were
underway at the site and all
possibleassistancewasbeing
given to those affected.
Modi spoke to Railway
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
totakestockofthesituation.
“Distressed by the train
accident in Odisha. In this
hourofgrief,mythoughtsare
with the bereaved families.
May the injured recover
soon,” Modi said in a tweet.
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah said the accident
was “deeply agonizing”.
DEEPLY ANGUISHED BY
LOSSOFLIVES:PRESIDENT
MURMU: PRESIDENT
Droupadi Murmu on Friday
said she was “deeply
anguished”bythelossoflives
inanunfortunate trainaccident in Odisha and prayed
for the spee