Odisha train accident: Of smashed coaches, shrouded corpses and mangled tracks (WATCH)
The train accident that happened in Odisha's Balasore has shocked the entire nation. When the Asianet News crew reached the spot, onlookers were busy taking videos even as rescue workers moved around with gas cutters and other equipment.
FollowMangled remains of railway tracks, toppled coaches and corpses under shrouds... that was what the Asianet News crew spotted when it reached the site where three trains collided in Odisha's Balasore on Friday evening.
The accident that happened in Odisha's Balasore district has shocked the entire nation. On Ground Zero, onlookers could be seen taking videos even as rescue workers moved around with gas cutters and other equipment.
At 6 pm on Saturday, 288 casualties had been reported and over 800 injured people officially. South Eastern Railway confirmed that rescue operations have been completed on-site.
A total of 2296 people were on board the two trains. There were 1257 passengers on board the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and 1039 onboard M Visvesvaraya-Howrah Superfast Express.
Let us piece together what happened on the track on June 2 evening.
According to Indian Railways, at 6:54 pm, the Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga Bazaar station. The derailment caused 10-12 coaches of the passenger train to capsize onto the adjacent track.Â
Minutes later, the Howrah Superfast Express, arriving on the adjacent track, crashed into the derailed coaches leading to its own derailment of 3-4 coaches.
The Indian Railways has denied reports that the anti-collision technology had failed. Railways spokesperson Amitabh Sharma confirmed that the route was not covered by railways’ anti-collision technology -- Kavach.Â
Over 300 NDRF rescuers armed with big metal cutters, canine squads and other heavy-lift equipment are working at the train accident site. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting to review the situation in relation to the Odisha train accident. He later visited the accident site.
A detailed investigation has been launched into one of the deadliest train crashes that India has ever seen.
