India train crash: At least 230 dead, 900 injured after Coromandel Express gets derailed

At least 233 people were killed and around 900 injured in the horrific train crash in Odisha, involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train, officials said on Saturday.

The accident happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday.

Several coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, on the way to Howrah, derailed and fell on adjacent tracks, an official said.

"These derailed coaches collided with the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and its coaches capsized too," he said.

A goods train was also involved in the accident as some of the coaches of the Coromandel Express, which was heading to Chennai, hit its wagons after getting derailed, he added.

Railway Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma told PTI Video that the Coromandel Express derailed first, and its 10-12 coaches fell on the line on which the Bengaluru-Howrah Express was travelling, forcing it to jump off the tracks.

Late in the night, Odisha's Chief Secretary PK Jena said three trains were involved in the accident.

The differing versions of the accident could not be immediately reconciled.

Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahoo said more than 800 people have been injured in the accident and were undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

All government and private hospitals have been put on alert in the nearby districts, including the AIIMS at Bhubaneswar.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was on the way to the spot, said the Air Force was also called in for assisting the rescue operations.

"Rushing to the site in Odisha. My prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured and condolences to the bereaved families. Rescue teams mobilised from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. NDRF, State govt. teams and Airforce also mobilised. Will take all hands required for the rescue ops," he tweeted.

Officials in Bhubaneswar said 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units were working at the accident site, besides 1,200 personnel. Bodies were being taken to the hospitals in all kinds of vehicles, including tractors.

Locals said they heard consecutive loud sounds, following which they rushed to the spot and found the derailed coaches, which were nothing but "a mangled heap of steel".

"The local people really went out on a limb to help us... They not only helped in pulling out people but retrieved our luggage and got us water," Rupam Banerjee, one of the passengers, told reporters.

Pijush Poddar, a resident of Berhampore in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, was travelling to Tamil Nadu in the Coromandel Express to join work there when the accident happened.

"We were jolted and suddenly saw the train bogie turn on one side. Many of us were thrown out of the compartment by the momentum of the derailment. When we managed to crawl out, we found bodies lying all around,” he said.

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