Wagons overturned or piled on top of each other, bodies covered with tarpaulins: Terrible train disaster involving three trains Near Balasorein the eastIndiaOn Friday, dozens died and hundreds were injured.
“Around 50 people died and over 500 were injured. Our priority now is to rescue (passengers) and treat the injured,” senior Odisha state government official Pradeep Jena told AFP. Indian news agency PTI reported 70 dead and 350 injured. The circumstances of the tragedy are unclear.
Three derailed
A passenger train, the Coromandel Express and a freight convoy collided near Balasore, about 200 kilometers from the Odisha state capital Bhubaneswar, witnesses and government spokesmen said regionally.
According to Pradeep Jena, a second passenger train was also involved in the tragedy, but the circumstances under which it happened are not known.
A Balasore police official told AFP that the condition of many of the injured was critical, but he did not know more at this time. Many passengers were also trapped under the carriages.
75 ambulances
“We expect relief operations to continue at least until tomorrow morning. On our part, we have prepared all major government and private hospitals from the site of the accident to the state capital to attend to the injured,” said SK Panda, spokesperson for the authorities.
He said “75 ambulances” had already been sent to the scene and “plenty of coaches” had been dispatched to transport both injured passengers and survivors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “grieving” for his part. Meanwhile, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said he would visit the accident site, stressing that the “air force” had also been “mobilised”.
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