Death toll in Odisha train accident rises to 288; Odisha announces one-day state mourning
Over 1,000 passengers have been injured, many of them critically, in the devastating mishap. The injured are undergoing treatment in different government and private hospitals in Soro, Balasore, Bhadrak and Cuttack.
By Sudam Patra
Balasore, June 3: The death toll in the terrible Odisha train ccident that occurred on Friday evening near Bahanaga railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district rose to 288 on Saturday with many of the passengers succumbing to their injuries.
Over 1,000 passengers have been injured, many of them critically, in the devastating mishap. The injured are undergoing treatment in different government and private hospitals in Soro, Balasore, Bhadrak and Cuttack.
Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, while confirming the death number, said rescue operations were in full swing.
The terrible mishap occurred at around 7 pm on Friday when 10-12 coaches of Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga and infringed the opposite track and, after minutes, the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express rammed into those derailed coaches, causing a terrible crash.
The Odisha government announced a one-day state mourning to pay homage to the departed souls. The Tamil Nadu government also declared a one-day state morning.
Air Force personnel, six teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and four teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) with modern equipment have been engaged in the relief and rescue operation. Railway cranes
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reached the accident site on Saturday morning and reviewed the relief and rescue operation. He thanked the rescue personnel for accomplishing the daunting task of rescuing the passengers under and inside the mangled coaches and getting the injured admitted to hospitals.
Amid the gloom and shadow, a large number of volunteers were on Friday night seen queuing up at various hospitals in Balsore to donate blood for the injured passengers. Nearly 500 units of blood were collected last night.
“It’s a terrible tragedy. I pay my honour to the departed souls. We have mobilized relief and rescue teams from West Bengal, Tata Nagar and Bhubaneswar. Now, our focus is on relief and rescue operations. We are also trying to ensure that the relatives of the injured and slain passengers get information as early as possible. Efforts for restoration of the track have also begun,” says railway Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The scenes at various hospitals in Soro and Balasore were quite shocking as family members and relatives were seen weeping inconsolably.
Revenue minister Pramila Mallick said more than 1000 passengers have been injured.
