Coromandel express accident: 288 dead, restoration work under way; PM Modi says those responsible won't be spared
Acting at the directive of chief minister Nitish Kumar, the Bihar government on Saturday decided to send a team of four senior officials to Odisha’s Balasore to provide necessary assistance to train passengers hailing from Bihar. These passengers were affected by the train accident on Friday.
READ MOREBHUBANESWAR: The Odisha transport department cracked the whip on several West Bengal-bound buses for fleecing passengers on Saturday. The buses were fined for charging exorbitant fares amid cancellation of several trains in view of the train accident in Balasore on Friday evening.
READ MORESocial media platforms have been trending with aerial shots, photographs, videos and condolence messages since the terrible triple train tragedy occurred at Bahanaga in Balasore district on Friday evening. Starting from world leaders to celebrities, common people to eyewitnesses and survivors are pouring their hearts out on social media platforms and expressing their grief and pain on the tragic incident that killed at least 288 people and injure around 800.
READ MOREAt a time when hospitals in Balasore were staring at an imminent shortage of blood in view of the admission of hundreds of profusely bleeding passengers of the horrific train accident, people from the locality and nearby areas turned as saviours by voluntarily donating blood on Friday evening and Saturday.
READ MOREDeeply moved by the condolence messages from world leaders on the train mishap in Odisha. Their kind words will give strength to the bereaved families. Gratitude for their support.
PM Narendra Modi
Restoration work is ongoing at Warfooting at train accident site in Balasore, Odisha with 1000+ Manpower working tirelessly. At present, more than 7 Poclain Machines, 2 Accident Relief Trains, 3-4 Railway and Road Cranes have been deployed for early restoration, tweets Ministry of Railway
Life Insurance Corporation chairperson Siddhartha Mohanty said that the corporation would waive the requirement of death certificate and relax its claim settlement process for victims of Balasore train tragedy."LIC Of India is deeply saddened by the tragic train accident in Balasore, Odisha on 02.06.2023. LIC Of India is committed to supporting those affected and will expedite claim settlements to provide financial relief," Mohanty said in a statement.
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In a show of a public disagreement, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were engaged in a verbal duel at the triple train accident site at Bahanaga in Odisha's Balasore on Saturday.
READ MOREWhen Railways Minister repeatedly says that our system is secure and any severe accident cannot happen then how this happened... Lal Bahadur Shastri had earlier resigned from his post in a train accident. We don't expect this from PM Modi's cabinet, but if he (Ashwini Vaishnaw) has a little bit of shame, he should resign.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh
The rescue operation is almost complete. The operation of the last bogie has started. So far the death toll has been around 288. The injured are undergoing treatment.
Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited Odisha train accident site and the survivors at Balasore district hospital, where he interacted with the injured persons. Among the persons he spoke to, one was from Jharkhand, one from West Bengal and three from Odisha. Check Photos here
- This incident is very serious for the government. The government will leave no stone unturned for the treatment of those injured.
- Stringent action will be taken against those found guilty in the train accident incident. No one will be spared.
- I also thank the government of Odisha and all the officers of the administration here who tried to help the people with limited resources.
- I am grateful to local people for all help given to train accident victims.
- Railway is working towards track restoration.
- PM tells officials to ensure all help needed is provided to the injured and their families.
- 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.
The aviation ministry has "advised" airlines to ensure that airfares to and from Bhubaneswar in particular, and other airports in Odisha is general, do not see a surge in the wake of rise in travel demand following the deadly train accident in the state on Friday night.
READ MOREThis is a very sad incident...More than 250 people have died. If one train met with an accident then how come the other two trains were not stopped, there must be some error that needs to be investigated by an independent retired judge.
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah
Politicians started thronging Bahanaga, a small town in Balasore district, around 180 kms from the state capital, as soon as news spread about the triple rain accident on Friday evening.
READ MOREWorld leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, expressed their condolences to the families and the Government of India on Saturday over one of the country's worst train accidents that killed at least 288 people. The accident, involving three trains, is one of the worst in the country and took place in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday night. More than 900 people were also injured.
READ MORESo far, a total of 58 trains stand cancelled, 81 were diverted & 10 were terminated. Work is underway in full swing, & restoration will be done soon; first, we will complete the restoration of the downline
Amitabh Sharma, spokesperson, ministry of railways on Balasore train mishap
The horrific train accident in Odisha is nothing less than a national tragedy. I pay my respects to the departed. There are many questions to our Prime Minister and railway minister, which can wait. At present, the immediate need is for relief and rescue.
Mallikarjun Kharge
Trains involved
(1) 12841- Shalimar- Chennai Corromandal Express
(2) 12864- Sir M Visveswarya - Howrah Super Fast Express
(3) Goods Train stationed at Bahanaga Bazar Station
- The three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah express, the CoromandelExpress and goods train at Bahanaga Bazar Station, Balasore district.
- 17 coaches of thesetwo trains have been de-railed & severely damaged.
- Number of Human Casualty: 261
- Number of person injured: Around 1000
Transport Facilities:
- Free Transport Facilities provided to stranded passengers of Odisha & West Bengal to their destination. They have been provided with water bottle, biscuit packets.
Railway is working towards track restoration: PM Modi
