NEW DELHI: At least 288 people have died and over 750 injured after two passenger trains and a freight train collided with one another in Odisha's Balasore district late on Friday.
A preliminary investigation report has suggested that the tragedy may have been caused due to human error in signaling.Coromandel express accident LIVE updatesPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inspected the triple train accident site and took stock of the relief operations.
He was accompanied by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Earlier in the day, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik also visited the spot and spoke to officials.Odisha Tragic Train Accident Explained: Death Toll Surpasses 230 in One of India's Deadliest MishapsThe train crash -- the third deadliest in India -- happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday.
Officials said the two express trains were carrying nearly 2,000 people.Here is a look at the top developments in the story so far:Engine drivers, guards of 2 trains injured The engine drivers and guards of two trains were injured in the Odisha triple train accident and are being treated in different hospitals, a railway official said on Saturday.
The engine driver and the guard of the goods trains escaped unhurt.
Coromandel Express's loco pilot and his assistant as well as the guard and Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express's guard were on the injured list."The loco pilot, assistant loco pilot and the guard of Coromandel Express and the guard of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express are being treated in different hospitals," senior divisional commercial manager of South Eastern Railway's Kharagpur division, Rajesh Kumar, said.PM Modi inspects accident site, vows strict actionPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised stringent action against any person found guilty for the triple train accident which occurred on Friday night.
The PM spoke to the press after inspecting the site at Bahanaga in Odisha's Balasore district and meeting victims at Balasore Hospital."Stringent action will be taken against those found guilty in the train accident incident.
No one will be spared," the PM said, while promising the "best possible treatment" to those injured in this tragedy.He also expressed his gratitude to locals for all the help in rescuing people, many of whom worked through the night.No word to express pain: PM ModiSpeaking of the accident, PM Modi said he had "no words" to express the pain.
"Let Almighty give us strength to overcome this situation".The PM also spoke to the Cabinet Secretary and Health Minister from the site.
He asked them to ensure all help needed is provided to the injured and their families, said officials.
The PM also said that special care must be taken to ensure that the bereaved families don't face inconvenience and that those affected keep getting the assistance they require.He also interacted with Odisha's disaster management minister Pramila Mallik as well as the local police chief.Ahead of vising the site, PM Modi had held a review meeting and was given a presentation on the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.The meeting was also attended by Union home minister Amit Shah, home secretary Ajay Bhalla, as well as senior officials of the railway ministry, PMO and NDRF.Several trains cancelled, 81 diverted; restoration work beginsRailway authorities on Saturday cancelled 58 trains, and diverted 81 trains onto a different route.
Another 10 trains were short-terminated in view of the incident.Spokesperson of the railways ministry Amitabh Sharma said that restoration work is on in full swing as rescue operations are nearing the end.Officials said the tracks and several bogies were mangled beyond recognition and that repair work has been started in earnest.Heavy machinery has been moved into place to remove the derailed bogies and damaged tracks.
How did the triple train crash happen?As officials launched a probe into how the accident happened, a sequence of events has finally been revealed and points to a possible human error in signaling.The investigation so far has revealed that a freight train was stationed on a loopline at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district.At 6.58pm, the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express mistakenly entered the loopline instead of continuing on the mainline towards Chennai, resulting in a head-on collision with the goods train.The impact caused the engine of the Coromandel Express to mount the freight train, causing the derailment of its 22 compartments.
As a result of the derailment, three coaches veered off onto a parallel line.Watch: Aerial view of Odisha train accident site where over 230 people diedThe derailed coaches collided with the tail end of the Bengaluru-Howrah train, which was crossing on the parallel line.The Bengaluru-Howrah train had almost crossed the Coromandel Express with only the last two coaches left.
These two coaches were hit and derailed.
The coaches were among the worst hit besides three coaches of Coromandel Express.Railway ministerorders high-level probeRailways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered a high-level probe into the accident.
He visited the train accident site and said the main focus now is rescue and relief operations.
"A detailed high-level inquiry will be conducted and the rail safety commissioner will also do an independent inquiry," Vaishnaw said."Restoration will begin after clearance from the district administration," he added.Rescue teams have been mobilised from Odisha's Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in West Bengal, he said in a tweet late on Friday.Additionally, three National Disaster Response Force teams are at the site of the accident, and six more teams are being mobilised, the country's National Disaster Response Force said.Army columns, Air Force choppers deployedArmy columns were rushed in and Air Force helicopters have been deployed for relief and rescue operations for passengers injured in the triple train crash site at Bahana Nagar in Odisha, a defence official said.The operations are being carried out in coordination with the railway authorities on the ground, he said."Army medical and engineering teams with ambulances and support services have been deployed from Eastern Command," he said.Two Mi-17s were deployed for evacuation of the injured passengers, he said.CM Patnaik visits site of accidentOdisha CM Naveen Patnaik on Saturday visited the site of the train crash to take stock of the situation on ground.
He declared one-day state mourning in the wake of the deadly triple train crash.Bengal CM visits train accident siteWest Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also visited the train accident site in Balasore in neighbouring Odisha on Saturday."This is the biggest train accident of this century; toll may rise," said Mamata Banerjee after the site of the train crash.West Bengal government has announces a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs each for the next of kin of those people from the state who died in the accident.
Rs 1 lakh each also announced for the injured and Rs 50,000 each for the victims of the state."She is quite worried and will be flying to Balasore today to take stock of the situation.
She has also spoken to Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in this regard.
She was in touch with the team which she sent to Balasore last night," news agency PTI reported on Friday.World leaders condole tragedy, extend supportWorld leaders, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, Chinese president Xi Jinping, British prime minister Rishi Sunak and Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida, expressed their condolences to the families and India on Saturday over one of the country's worst train accidents that killed at least 288 people.
Russian President Putin expressed his condolences in a telegram to PM Modi.
"Please accept our deep condolences over the tragic aftermath of the train collision in Odisha.
We share the grief of those who lost their relatives and close ones in this catastrophe and we hope for a speedy recovery to everyone injured," says the telegram, published on the Kremlin's website.UK Prime Minister Sunak extended his heartfelt support and admiration to the survivors and those working tirelessly in the rescue operations.Chinese President Xi sent separate condolence messages to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi over the train accident, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.Japan's prime minister Kishida sent a condolence message to PM Modi following the train accident.Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished speedy recovery to those injured in the accident.UN General Assembly president Csaba Korosi too expressed his deepest condolences to the families over the tragic train accident.Helpline numbersThe Odisha government issued helpline 06782-262286.
The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).(With inputs from agencies)WatchPM Modi visits train accident site in Balasore, interacts with officials