Officials in India’s eastern state of Odisha report that a multiple train disaster has left at least 233 persons dead and 900 injured.
According to Pradeep Jena, chief secretary of Odisha, more than 200 ambulances were dispatched to the scene in the Balasore district.
Late on Friday, it’s believed that one passenger train derailed before being struck by another on a nearby track.
It is the deadliest train accident to ever occur in India. Officials predict that the death toll will go up much further.
The Coromandel Express and the Howrah Superfast Express were the two services mentioned by Indian Railways as being engaged.
So far, 233 bodies have been found, according to Mr. Jena.
More than 100 additional doctors have been deployed, he said earlier.
The incident grieved Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed his sympathy for the deceased families.
He tweeted, “Rescue operations are underway at the scene of the incident and all applicable assistance is being provided to those affected.”
Amit Shah, the home minister, described the episode as “deeply agonising.”
“10 to 15 people fell on me when the accident happened, and everything went haywire,” one male survivor remarked. The pile’s bottom was where I was.
“My hand and the back of my neck both hurt. The witness told India’s ANI news, “When I walked out of the railway bogie, I observed someone had lost their hand, someone had lost their leg, while someone’s face was deformed.
In the state, a day of mourning has been declared.
At around 19:00 local time (13:30 GMT), many cars from the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express are thought to have derailed, with some of them ending up on the opposite track.
The Howrah Superfast Express, which runs between Yesvantpur and Howrah, is then supposed to have struck the upside-down carriages.
According to Indian officials, the incident also involved a cargo train that was waiting at the scene. They didn’t offer any more information.
It was seen that some surviving passengers rushed to the rescue of those buried in the debris.
Additionally assisting in the transport of injured passengers were local bus firms.
India has one of the largest railroad networks in the world, yet accidents still happen often despite hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements made by several administrations.
At least 800 persons were killed in India’s deadliest railway accident in 1981 when a crowded passenger train was blown off the rails and into a river during a cyclone in the state of Bihar.
