Guwahati: Over 200 people were killed and more than 900 have been injured in a horrific train derailment that occurred on Friday evening at around 7 pm in Odisha’s Balasore.
The accident took place near the Bahanaga Baazar station in the district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.
As per sources, three trains collided one after another in a horrific sequence, setting off a massive rescue and evacuation process.
The derailment of 10 to 12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express caused them to fall onto the opposite track.
Subsequently, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express collided with the derailed coaches, leading to the derailment of three to four of its own coaches. Adding to the tragedy, a goods train was also involved in the crash.
On Saturday morning, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that he has ordered a high-level probe into the derailment.
The railway ministry has announced ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased, Rs. 2 lakh to those severely injured, and Rs. 50,000 to those who sustained with minor injuries.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has declared one-day state mourning in view of the horrific train crash.
Following the crash, over 40 trains have been cancelled by Indian Railways, while 9 others have been short-terminated or short-originated.
