More than 200 people were killed and over 900 injured in the horrific train derailment that occurred at Odisha Balasore at around 7 pm on Friday evening. The derailment of 10 to 12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express caused them to fall onto the opposite track. Subsequently, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express collided with the derailed cars, resulting in the derailment of three to four of its own cars. A freight train also added to the tragedy.
List of trains cancelled, diverted following the Coromandel Express accident in Odisha
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday that he has ordered a high-level probe into the derailment. “The accident was unfortunate and the rescue operation started soon after the incident was reported to his ministry,” the minister said, according to ANI. The Ministry of Railways has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh to the relatives of the deceased, Rs. 2 thousand to the seriously injured and Rs. 50,000 to those who sustained minor injuries.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit the train accident site in Balasore in neighboring Odisha on Saturday, a senior official said.
Banerjee, the official said, spoke to her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik over the phone in connection with the accident on Friday evening.
The Bengal CM monitored the situation almost throughout the night from her Kalighat residence and expressed her shock over the tragic incident.
How many units of NDRF, ODRF are in place?
According to Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, the rescue operation is currently being carried out by seven NDRF units, five ODRF units, 24 fire brigade units along with local police and volunteers.
The rescue team is cutting up the only remaining chassis that was severely damaged in the accident
Efforts are on to cut up the only remaining bogie that was severely damaged after the horrific train accident in Odisha’s Balasore, State Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena says.
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