In India’s most devastating rail accident in more than 20 years, at least 261 people have tragically lost their lives after a passenger train derailed and collided with another train in the eastern part of the country.
The incident occurred in the Balasore district of Odisha state, where one of the trains also struck a stationary freight train, causing severe damage to the rail cars and injuring approximately 650 individuals.
K. S. Anand, the chief public relations officer of South Eastern Railway, confirmed the death toll of 261, though an earlier report from the foreign media had stated 288 fatalities.
Surviving passenger Anubha Das recounted the harrowing scene, describing families being crushed, limbless bodies, and a distressing bloodbath on the tracks.
Disturbing video footage captured the aftermath, showcasing derailed train coaches, damaged tracks, and rescue teams tirelessly searching through the wreckage to rescue survivors and transport them to nearby hospitals.
At the accident site and nearby medical facilities, distraught individuals were seen desperately searching for their loved ones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, upon learning of the tragedy, was en route to the location to assess the situation and offer his support, as reported by the local media.
Expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, “In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon.”
Later, he also chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation.
Modi visited the crash spot to take stock of the situation.
Witnesses who were present during the rescue operations expressed the haunting experience of hearing the screams and cries of both the injured and the relatives of those who lost their lives. The magnitude of the incident was described as horrific and heart-wrenching.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced compensation for the affected families, stating that the families of the deceased would receive 1 million rupees ($12,000), while those seriously injured would be provided with 200,000 rupees. Minor injuries would be compensated with 50,000 rupees. Some state governments have also pledged additional compensation for the victims.
Videos from the day of the accident showed the efforts of rescuers as they climbed the mangled trains in search of survivors. Passengers could be heard pleading for help and sobbing amidst the wreckage. The collision transpired around 7 pm (1330 GMT) when the Howrah Superfast Express, traveling from Bengaluru to Howrah in West Bengal, collided with the Coromandel Express, which was en route from Kolkata to Chennai.
A comprehensive search-and-rescue operation has been launched, involving hundreds of personnel from the fire department, police officers, sniffer dogs, and teams from the National Disaster Response Force.
