According to officials, a train accident involving three trains in the eastern state of Odisha, India, has resulted in the tragic loss of at least 288 lives and left over 850 individuals injured.
As the search and rescue efforts continue, there is a grave concern that the death toll may increase as more individuals are suspected to be trapped inside the severely damaged train compartments. Rescue teams are diligently working to cut through the twisted iron carriages, aided by the assistance of sniffer dogs, in their tireless pursuit to locate survivors and recover the deceased. The Indian army has now joined forces with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the police, and other rescue teams in their collective mission to locate any remaining survivors.
“Sudhanshu Sarangi, the Fire Services Chief of Odisha, expressed limited optimism regarding the possibility of rescuing any survivors,” he told reporters on Saturday morning.
Pradeep Jena, the Chief Secretary of Odisha, stated that over 200 ambulances were deployed to transport the injured individuals to hospitals. The sudden influx of disoriented and wounded victims overwhelmed local hospitals that were ill-prepared to handle such a large number of critically injured patients.
Footage from the accident site depicted lifeless bodies aligned along the tracks, while rescue teams worked tirelessly to extract survivors from the overturned and jumbled train compartments. In response to the devastating incident, the state government has declared a day of mourning. The details regarding the sequence of events leading to the accident are not yet officially confirmed.
Based on local news reports and eyewitness testimonies, it is believed that the Coromandel Shalimar Express, a passenger train, derailed and collided with a stationary goods train at approximately 6:50 pm local time. The impact caused multiple coaches to overturn. Roughly 20 minutes later, the Yeshvantpur-Howrah Superfast train, en route to the accident site, crashed into the derailed coaches on an adjacent track.
Vandana Kaleda, a passenger, recounted her experience, stating, “As I exited the washroom, the train suddenly tilted. I lost my balance… Everything turned chaotic. People started falling on top of each other, and I was in shock, unable to comprehend what had happened. My mind ceased to function.”
The reasons why the second train approaching the accident area was not halted in time remain unclear. The Indian Railways has initiated an investigation into the incident.
Facing calls for resignation from opposition leaders, India’s Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, acknowledged the “tragic” nature of the accident and emphasized that the immediate focus remains on rescue and relief operations. He further announced the establishment of a high-level inquiry committee to determine the cause of the accident. The Commissioner of Railway Safety will also conduct a separate investigation.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, expressed distress over the accident during his visit to the crash site on Saturday. In a message of condolence, he stated that his thoughts are with the grieving families during this hour of sorrow. He convened a meeting with senior officials to assess the situation and pledged to provide “all possible assistance” to the victims.
The Railway Ministry has announced compensations of approximately $12,200 for the families of the deceased, $2,440 for the seriously injured, and $610 for those with minor injuries.
India boasts one of the world’s largest railway networks, accommodating an estimated 13 million passengers daily. However, despite recent substantial investments aimed at modernization, a significant portion of the country’s railway infrastructure remains outdated and deteriorating.
This recent train disaster ranks among India’s most severe in recent decades. In 1981, over 800 people lost their lives when a passenger train derailed and plunged into a river in the state of Bihar during a cyclone. In 1995, over 300 individuals were killed when the Purushottam Express collided with a stationary train in the central Uttar Pradesh state. Similarly, in 2016, 152 people perished in a passenger train derailment in the same state.
