PM Modi convenes meeting to review situation: According to government sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a meeting on Saturday to review the situation surrounding the Odisha train accident. Three trains collided in the Balasore district of Odisha, resulting in at least 238 fatalities.
According to officials in Bhubaneswar, a colossal relief operation is currently underway at the accident site. To provide assistance, approximately 200 ambulances, 50 vehicles, 45 mobile health units, and 1,200 personnel were deployed. Bodies were being transported to hospitals using various modes of transport, including tractors.
No death due to train accident in nearly 22 months: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal
PM Modi convenes meeting to review the situation
The fourth deadliest train accident in India, according to available records, occurred near the Bahanaga Baazar station in the Balasore district. The location is about 250 kilometres south of Kolkata and 170 kilometres north of Bhubaneswar. The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Friday, prompting the Railway Ministry to initiate a thorough investigation.
While the precise cause of the accident is still unknown, preliminary information suggests a signalling malfunction may have played a role.
Several carriages of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express derailed and collided with adjacent tracks, according to a railway official. As a consequence, the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which was travelling in the opposite direction, was also affected, resulting in the overturning of several of its coaches.
Along with these two passenger trains, a goods train was engaged in the collision. The derailed coaches of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express collided with the waggons of the cargo train.
Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma stated that the Coromandel Express derailed first. The Bengaluru-Howrah Express also derailed after 10 to 12 of its coaches collapsed onto the track it was travelling on. The divergent accounts of the accident have not been reconciled as of yet.
In addition to expressing sorrow for the lives lost in one of India’s worst railway accidents. The opposition criticised the government’s handling of the crisis.
