National Desk, 3 June: As many as 280 people were dead and over 900 people were injured in a massive train accident that took place on Friday after the Coromandel Express and the Bengaluru-Howrah Express derailed in Balasore, Odisha. This was the country’s deadliest train accident in more than 20 years.
The tragic accident took place at around 7 pm on Friday.
According to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a high-level committee would be formed to look into the train accident.
The crash involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train.
All hospitals in the nearby districts have been placed on alert and rescue efforts are currently underway. According to Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep, four units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, three NDRF units, more than 15 fire rescue teams, 30 medical professionals, 200 police officers and 60 ambulances have all been dispatched to the scene.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has proclaimed a day of national mourning in response to the horrible train accident.
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited to the scene of the accident to assess the situation. He stated, “Restoration work will start right away. Although we have the personnel and tools necessary to begin the restoration process, the injured people’s rescue and medical care come first. Only after a thorough investigation will we be aware of specifics. There would be an impartial investigation.”
In addition, Mr. Vaishnaw has declared compensation amounts of Rs. 10 lakh for those who lost their lives and Rs. 2 lakh for those who were critically injured and Rs. 50,000 for those who just suffered minor injuries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also conveyed his sorrow over the mishap, announcing compensation from the PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) of 2 lakh for the family of the deceased and 50,000 for the injured.
Chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee also stated that she and other senior bureaucrats including the chief secretary are continuously monitoring the situation.
The accident which occurred on the Howrah-Chennai main line in the Kharagpur division of the South Eastern Railway has so far resulted in the cancellation of 18 long-distance trains.