Odisha Train Accident: 50 Dead, More Than 350 Injured As Coromandel Express Derails In Balasore

<p>At least 50 people were killed and more than 350 injured as several coaches of the Coromandel Express derailed in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday evening, following which it collided head-on with another train on the other line, news agency PTI reported citing officials.</p> <p>[tw]https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/1664673815241031692[/tw]</p> <p>Earlier, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said that there have been casualties but that they have not yet been counted. "It was a particularly violent train, involving three trains: two passenger trains and one goods train," he was quoted as saying by ANI.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the Kharagpur Divisional Railway Manager, the Shalimar-Howrah Coromandel Express derailed at Bahanaga station around 6:51 pm, while the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast train derailed at the same location around 6:55 pm.&nbsp;</p> <p>Rescue operations have been launched, and the injured are being transported to Balasore Medical College Hospital and other nearby hospitals.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to a PTI report, several people were trapped beneath the derailed coaches, and locals were assisting emergency personnel in rescuing them, but the operation was hampered by darkness.</p> <p>Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakhs for accident victims who died, Rs 2 lakhs for those who suffered serious injuries, and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ex-gratia compensation to the victims of this unfortunate train accident in Odisha;<br />₹10 Lakh in case of death, <br />₹2 Lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.</p> &mdash; Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/AshwiniVaishnaw/status/1664676130408878080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <p> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script> </p> <p><strong>READ | <a title="'50 Ambulances Not Enough...': Over 50 Feared Dead, 150 Injured In Coromandel Express Accident" href="https://ift.tt/beFKTJD" target="_self">'50 Ambulances Not Enough...': Over 50 Feared Dead, 150 Injured In Coromandel Express Accident</a></strong></p> <p>Officials said four units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), three units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and 60 ambulances were working to rescue the injured.</p> <p>Odisha's government has established a helpline at 06782-262286. 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore), and 044-25330952 (Chennai) are the railway helplines.</p> <p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the accident and spoke with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to assess the situation.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">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 <a href="https://twitter.com/AshwiniVaishnaw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AshwiniVaishnaw</a> and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all&hellip;</p> &mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1664665463450918913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <p> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script> </p> <p>West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said the state would send a team to the site led by Minister Manas Bhunia and MP Dola Sen.</p> <p>West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that she, along with the chief secretary and other officials, was personally monitoring the situation.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shocked to know that the Shalimar- Coromondel express, carrying passengers from West Bengal, collided with a goods train near Balasore today evening and some of our outbound people have been seriously affected/ injured. We are coordinating with Odisha government and South&hellip;</p> &mdash; Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial/status/1664652476136697856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <p> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script> </p> <p><strong><a title="Click Here For The Latest Update On Odisha Train Accident&nbsp;" href="https://ift.tt/TFVymSR" target="_self">Click Here For The Latest Update On Odisha Train Accident&nbsp;</a></strong></p>

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