At least 900 people were injured and 233 people died after a passenger train hit the derailed coaches of another train, many people are feared trapped and search and rescue operations are on.
Coromandel Express, which was going from Kolkata to Chennai, rammed into the derailed coaches of the other train, which was going from Bengaluru to Kolkata, Railway Ministry spokesperson Amitabh Sharma told NDTV.
West Bengal Chief Minister expressed shock over the incident and the state government is coordinating with Odisha government and South Eastern Railways.
The emergency control room has been activated in West Bengal and the Chief Minister also issued helpline numbers:
033- 22143526/ 22535185.
Helpline numbers have been issued by the authorities and over a hundred National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been involved in the rescue operations.
Helpline numbers at Howrah - 033 - 26382217
Kharagpur Helpline 8972073925, 9332392339
Balasore Helpline - 8249591559, 7978418322
Shalimar Helpline - 9903370746