Two passenger trains collided in Odisha's Balasore, killing and injuring many
Thirty eight people were killed and nearly 400 were injured when a passenger train hit the derailed coaches of another train in Odisha's Balasore this evening. Many are feared trapped and the casualties may rise, officials said. A third freight train was also involved in the accident, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena told NDTV.
Some coaches of Coromandel Express, which was going from Howrah to Chennai, had derailed and fallen on to the adjacent tracks. Yashwantpur-Howrah Superfast train, coming from the other side, rammed the derailed coaches, Railway Ministry spokesperson Amitabh Sharma told NDTV.
The details of the two trains are 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and 12864 Yashwantpur-Howrah Superfast Express.
Fifteen coaches of Coromandel Express came off the tracks, while two of the other train got derailed.
Odisha Fire Services chief Sudhanshu Sarangi is supervising rescue operations. Medical colleges and hospitals in and around Balasore have been alerted and 60 ambulances have been mobilised.
Over a hundred personnel of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and its state counterpart are looking for trapped passengers and cutting through the debris to reach them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted he has spoken to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
"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," PM Modi said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted she is monitoring the situation continually personally with the Chief Secretary and other senior officers.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has told Revenue Minister Pramila Malik to go to the accident site, news agency PTI reported.
PM Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those who died in the accident, and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.