At least 207 people were dead and 900 people were injured after Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore on Friday. The injured have been shifted to Soro CHC, Gopalpur CHC, and Khantapada PHC, said Chief Secretary, Odisha. Confirming the sharp upward spiral in the death toll, the chief secretary said, “According to the latest report from Speculation Relief Commissioner, Odisha, the toll from the Balasore derailment has risen to 207 while the number of injured passengers is now at 900,” Jena said.
According to the officials 3 NDRF, 4 ODRAF and 22 Fire Services personnel have been deployed for the rescue operations at the accident spot. Earlier, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday took stock of the situation and reviewed the rescue operations at Control Room, SRC, Bhubaneswar.
The CM ordered the provision of free medical treatment to all the injured victims in the BSKY facility hospitals and other private hospitals. Cost of medical expenses shall be borne by the state, he added.
Collectors, SP and officers of the district administrations of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendujhar have also been asked to supervise the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has declared a day of mourning on Saturday in the wake of the train derailment. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared a day’s mourning on Saturday, saying that no state celebrations would be held on the day.
The announcement was made through an official release by the state I&PR Department.
The Konkan Railway officials informed that the flagging off ceremony of the Goa-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express has been cancelled in view of the tragic accident in Odisha.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said he had ordered a high-level probe into the derailment on Friday night. Speaking to ANI on the incident, Vaishnaw said the accident was unfortunate and the rescue operation began shortly after word of the incident reached his ministry. He said the probe was ordered to determine what caused the derailment of the passenger train coaches.
The Control Room of SRC, Bhubaneswar is operational, officials informed further. Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, Development Commissioner-cum-ACS- Anu Garg, Principal Secretary, I&PR Department Sanjay Kumar Singh, MD, OSDMA Gyan Das are present in the Control room of SRC to monitor the rescue operation.
Several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore after hitting a goods train. According to Railway Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place at around 7 pm on Friday.”Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches,” Sharma told ANI.
NDRF’s first team of 22 members from Balasore Railway Station (BLS) has already reached the site. Another team from Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) of 32 members started half an hour before, said officials.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the state minister Pramila Mallik and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) to reach the accident site immediately. Minister and SRC are heading towards the incident place.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Odisha along with senior officers Hemant Sharma, Balwant Singh, Arvind Agarwal, DG Fire Services have been despatched to the spot to supervise arrangements for relief operations after the train accident at Bahanaga. Medical colleges and all hospitals in and around Balasore are put on alert. SCBMC alerted too. 3 NDRF units; 4 ODRAF units and 60 ambulances mobilised, according to the Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner, Odisha. (ANI)
Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena on Saturday confirmed that the death toll in the train accident in Balasore has risen sharply to 207 and the number of injured passengers is now at 900.
Confirming the sharp upward spiral in the death toll, the chief secretary said, “According to the latest report from Speculation Relief Commissioner, Odisha, the toll from the Balasore derailment has risen to 207 while the number of injured passengers is now at 900,” Jena said.
The Control Room of SRC, Bhubaneswar is operational, officials informed further. Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, Development Commissioner-cum-ACS- Anu Garg, Principal Secretary, I&PR Department Sanjay Kumar Singh, MD, OSDMA Gyan Das are present in the Control room of SRC to monitor the rescue operation.
According to Railway Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place at around 7 pm on Friday.”Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches,” Sharma told ANI. (ANI)
Train tragedy: Odisha govt declares a day’s mourning, no state celebrations today
Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], June 3 (ANI): The Odisha government declared a day of mourning on Saturday in the wake of the horrific train derailment in Balasore, which claimed the lives of more than 200 passengers and left another 900 injured on Friday evening. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared a day’s mourning on Saturday, saying that no state celebrations would be held on the day.
The announcement was made through an official release by the state I&PR Department.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said he has ordered a high-level probe into the derailment on Friday night.
Speaking to ANI on the incident, Vaishnaw said the accident was unfortunate and the rescue operation began shortly after word of the incident reached his ministry. He said the probe was ordered to determine what caused the derailment of the passenger train coaches.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Dola Sen on Saturday said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit the accident site on Saturday, adding that she has sent officials from Kharagpur to engage in the ongoing relief operations at the scene of the horrific accident.
“…we are shocked…Our CM (Mamata Banerjee) might come here tomorrow …she has sent our officials… doctors, and a trauma ambulance from Kharagpur,” Sen said. Several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore after hitting a goods train.
According to Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place around 7 pm on Friday. “Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches,” Sharma told ANI. (ANI)
Several trains of South Eastern Railway cancelled
The South Eastern Railway cancelled several trains on Saturday in light of the horrific accident in Balasore involving two passenger trains and a goods train on Friday evening.
According to a press release issued by the South Eastern Railways, more than 20 train services on Saturday were cancelled due to the derailment incident in Odisha.
The list of cancelled trains includes around six special journey trains and over 10 express trains.
“Balasore-Bhubaneswar Special, Jaleswar-Puri Special, Bangriposi-Puri Express journey, Kharagpur-Khurda Road Express, Kharagpur -Bhadrak Special, Howrah-Puri Express, Howrah-Secunderabad Express, Shalimar-Puri Express, Howrah- Sir M Visveswaraiya Terminal Express, Balasore-Bhadrak Special, Shalimar-Hyderabad East Coast Express, Howrah-Tirupati Express, Bhadrak-Howrah Express, Jajpur Keonjhar Road-Kharagpur Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Express, Bhubaneswar-Howrah Express, Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, Puri-Howrah Shatabdi Express, Bhadrak-Balasore Special, Bhadrak-Balasore Special, Puri-Shalimar Express, Puri-Anand Vihar Express, Bhadrak-Kharagpur Special and Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express are among trains commencing on Saturday whose services have been cancelled”, the statement read.
Several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore after hitting a goods train.
According to Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place around 7 pm on Friday.
“Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches,” Sharma told ANI.
The derailment claimed the lives of more than 120 passengers and injured another 600.
Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said saving the lives of the injured passengers was the top priority of the state government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. (ANI)
