So far 288 passengers have died in the accident in Odisha’s Balasore district, while more than 1,100 passengers have been reported injured. All the overturned bogies at the spot have been removed and the track has also been cleaned. According to the information revealed, more than 100 people have been employed at the accident site to repair the railway track. Almost all the railway officials are present at the spot to complete the repair and cleaning work at the earliest. Passengers aboard the Coromandel Express have reached Chennai railway station in Tamil Nadu by a special train. Police, TDRF and commandos have been deployed to help the passengers. Ambulances, taxis and buses are also available outside the railway station.
i have no words to describe the pain
Investigators are probing the train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district from human error, signal failure and other possible aspects. The officials have submitted the preliminary investigation report of this horrific train accident. At least 288 passengers died in the accident and more than 1,100 passengers were injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the accident site and was briefed by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav as well as officials of disaster management teams. He also met some of the injured in the hospital. Modi said- I do not have words to express my pain. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty for the train accident. No one will be spared.
21 coaches derailed in the accident
The incident took place when Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and Bengaluru-Howrah Express derailed and collided with a goods train in Balasore district at around 7 pm on Friday. There were about 2500 passengers in both the passenger trains. 21 coaches were derailed and severely damaged in the accident, trapping hundreds of passengers. Both the passenger trains were running at high speed and experts have cited this as one of the main reasons for the high number of casualties.
90 trains canceled
After the train accident, about 90 trains have been canceled while the route of 46 trains has been changed. Along with this, 11 trains have already been stopped before their destination. Most of the trains affected due to the accident belong to the South and South-East Railway zones. The crash site looked as if a powerful tornado had hurled the train coaches on top of each other like toys. Large cranes were brought in to clear the debris and gas cutters were used to extract the bodies from the damaged coaches. The passengers injured in the accident have been admitted to various hospitals.
The condition of 56 injured is critical.
In the preliminary investigation of the train accident, it has been found that the Coromandel Express train that met with the accident went on the loop line instead of the main route just before Bahanga Bazar station and collided with a goods train parked there. It is understood that the coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express also overturned after hitting the coaches of the damaged Coromandel Express on the adjacent track. Citing the reports available till yesterday afternoon, an official said that 288 passengers have died in the accident. At the same time, the condition of 56 injured is critical.
Many passengers in the express suddenly heard a loud sound
Several passengers aboard the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, returning to their families after working for several months in South India, suddenly fell from their seats after hearing a loud noise and the lights went off. Mizan-ul-Haq, a resident of Bardhaman, was in a compartment at the rear of the train. Haq returning from Karnataka said – The train was running at a high speed. Around 7 in the evening, a loud noise was heard and everything started shaking. As soon as there was a power failure inside the bogie, I fell on the floor from the top seat. He said that somehow he got out of the damaged coach and reached a safe place.
mostly migrant workers
Haque said at Howrah station – It was very sad that many people were lying near the badly damaged compartment. The man, a resident of Bardhaman and working as a carpenter in Bengaluru, said that he suffered injuries on his chest, leg and head when the bogie he was traveling in overturned. He said- We had to jump out of the compartment by breaking the windows to save ourselves. After the accident, we saw many dead bodies lying. According to the survivors of the accident, a large number of passengers were traveling in the unreserved coaches and these included mostly migrant workers, who were going to Tamil Nadu or Kerala.
Leaders of different countries also expressed grief over this accident.
Nityam Ray, a resident of Bhomrel village in Malda district of West Bengal, also died in the accident. His family said that he was traveling in the Coromandel Express. Balasore District Hospital and Soro Hospital looked like a war zone as the injured were taken to these hospitals. Over 2,000 people gathered at the Balasore Medical College and Hospital in the night to help the injured and many of them donated blood, officials said. The hospital’s morgue was filled with shrouded bodies and packed with distraught relatives of passengers. People from all over the country mourned the tragedy and many states and parties canceled their programs. Leaders of different countries of the world also expressed grief over this incident.
High-level inquiry into the accident started
Opposition leaders stressed the importance of the Railways prioritizing the safety of passengers. Many leaders demanded to fix accountability in this accident and also demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. Questions were also raised as to why the train’s anti-crash system (Kavach) was not working. Railways have said that the armor system was not available on the route. Initial reports indicate that the signal was given, then turned off. Officials said that the Railways has started a high-level inquiry into the accident, which will be headed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, South East Zone.
Signal failure could be the reason behind the accident
Sources had earlier said that signal failure could be the reason behind the accident. Railway officials said it was not yet clear whether the Coromandel Express entered the loop line and hit the stationary goods train or it first derailed and then hit the stationary train after entering the loop line. The preliminary inquiry report states that the signal was given and train number 12841 was dispatched to the Up main line, but the train entered the Up loop line and collided with a goods train standing on the loop line and derailed. A copy of this report is available with PTI.
Coromandel Express speed 128 kmph
According to reports, meanwhile, train number 12864 passed through the down main line and two of its coaches derailed and overturned. It is noteworthy that loop line of Indian Railways is constructed in a station area and in this case it is Bahanga Bazar station. The purpose of a loop line is to accommodate more trains to facilitate operations. The loop line is usually 750 meters long, so that the entire length of a multi-engine long goods train comes on it. Sources said that the speed of Coromandel Express was 128 km per hour, while the speed of Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was 116 km per hour. The report has been submitted to the Railway Board. These trains usually run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph.
Armor system not available on this route
A spokesperson of Indian Railways said- CRS (Commissioner of Railway Safety) of SE (South-East) zone AM Chaudhary will investigate the accident. So far no official has expressed the possibility of conspiracy in the accident. Indian Railways spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said – The rescue operation has been completed. We are now starting the work of smoothening the route. Armor system was not available on this route.
Ignoring signals is the main reason for collision of trains
Railways is in the process of providing armor system in its network, so that accidents due to collision of trains can be prevented. When the loco pilot (train driver) breaks a signal and moves ahead, this shield gets activated. Ignoring the signal is the main reason for collision of trains. This system can alert the loco pilot, apply brakes and automatically stop the train when it detects another train on the same route within a specified distance.
200 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units have been deployed at the accident site.
Officials in Bhubaneswar said 200 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units were stationed at the accident site, in addition to 1,200 personnel. Officials said that the Air Force has sent two helicopters with medical teams to evacuate the seriously injured passengers. Army contingents including engineering and medical personnel were dispatched from Barrackpore and Panagarh in West Bengal. A defense official said on Saturday that two Mi-17 helicopters have been pressed into service to evacuate the injured passengers. The driver and guard of two trains were injured in the train accident in Odisha and are being treated in various hospitals. A railway official gave this information.
The engine driver and the guard had a narrow escape.
However, the engine driver and the guard of the goods train narrowly escaped, the official said. The list of injured includes the loco pilot and his assistant as well as the guard of the Coromandel Express and the guard of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, he said. Mukesh Pandit, an injured passenger from Jharkhand who was going to Chennai by Coromandel Express, said, he did not know when the accident happened. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that doctors from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar have been sent to Balasore and Cuttack in Odisha to assist in relief work at the train accident site.
Mamta Banerjee visited the accident site
Mandaviya said on Twitter – Two teams of doctors from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar have been sent to Balasore and Cuttack to assist in the relief work at the rail accident site in Odisha. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav visited the site in Odisha’s Balasore where the horrific train accident took place on Friday. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited the spot to take stock of the situation. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the accident site.
10 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.
Railways has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh each for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 each for the minorly injured. Modi has announced an additional ex-gratia of Rs 2-2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50-50 thousand to the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Other states have also announced assistance. Expressing grief over the gruesome train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district, the Congress said that this accident has also exposed the fact that safety should always be the top priority in railways.
The horrific train accident in Odisha is no less than a national tragedy.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has instructed all party leaders to provide all possible help at their level. Kharge tweeted – The horrific train accident in Odisha is no less than a national tragedy. I have directed the entire Congress Party organization on this occasion to help the victims of this calamity as much as possible. Congress leaders from different states have reached the spot or will reach Balasore soon. He said- In the hour of this disaster, I express my deepest condolences to all the families whose relatives lost their lives. We have many questions worth asking the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister, which can wait. At present, the immediate need is for relief and rescue.
The country’s worst train accident happened in Bihar in 1981.
The country’s worst train accident happened in Bihar in 1981. A train fell into the Bagmati river while crossing the bridge, killing more than 750 passengers aboard. In the year 1995 in Uttar Pradesh, Purushottam Express collided with Kalindi Express standing near Firozabad. About 305 passengers were killed in that accident. (with language input)
