Railways Puts Odisha Train Accident Toll At 278 As 3 More Succumb; 1100 Injured

Bhubaneswar: The Indian Railways updated the official death toll in Friday triple train crash in Odisha’s Balasore to 278, after three more passengers succumbed to injuries, news agency PTI reported.

Apart from 278 deaths, 1,100 people were injured in the June 2 accident, Khurda Road Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Rinkesh Ray said, adding that less than 200 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.

The Odisha government’s toll, however, remained unchanged at 275, which was revised from 288 on Sunday. Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena had then claimed that some bodies were counted twice.

According to latest updates, 1,009 of 1,207 admitted to different government and private hospitals have been discharged. Among the remaining 198, one patient is under critical care. Among the dead, 170 bodies have so far been identified and the state government is making arrangements for free transportation by hearses/dead body carriers till destination.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, also a former Railway Minister, had earlier questioned the death figures, stating that 61 people alone from her state had died in the triple crash while 182 were still missing.

Three trains – Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah super fast and a goods train – were involved in the accident, now being described as one of India’s worst train mishaps.