A distressing incident occurred when the Coromandel Express collided with coaches of another train, resulting in injuries to at least 179 individuals. The incident took place near Bahanaga station in Odisha's Balasore on Friday evening, raising concerns about the possibility of people being trapped amidst the wreckage.
Amitabh Sharma, the spokesperson for the Railway Ministry, informed reporters that around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of the train’s 3-4 coaches.
Rescue operations are currently underway under the supervision of Sudhanshu Sarangi, the chief of Odisha Fire Services. Medical colleges and hospitals in the vicinity of Balasore have been put on high alert to address the situation effectively.
According to Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, the injured persons have been shifted to the Soro CHC, Gopalpur CHC, and Khantapada PHC.
Meawhile, to aid in the search for trapped passengers and facilitate their rescue, more than a hundred personnel from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and its state counterpart have been deployed. They are tirelessly working to navigate through the debris and provide assistance to those in need.
In response to the incident, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has instructed Revenue Minister Pramila Malik to visit the accident site and assess the situation firsthand.
According to information, several trains have been cancelled while some are diverted in the section affected by train derailment in Odisha's Balasore district.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragic train accident. Taking to Twitter, he said that he spoke with Union Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and took stock of the situation.
PM Modi said, “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 @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given to those affected.”
