Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday lauded the efforts of local residents in carrying out rescue operations at triple train accident spot in Odisha’s Balasore and rushing injured passengers to hospitals.
He took stock of situation at the site of the tragic accident that occurred on Friday evening around 7 pm. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was also present at the spot.
“I have to thank the local people, the local teams and others who have worked overnight to save people from the wreckage. The injured have been taken to hospitals here in Balasore and in Cuttack,” Naveen told the media.
The CM has also ordered for one-day State Mourning. “There will be no State celebration will take place on June 3,” informed Odisha Information and Public Relations Department.
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena told the media that there had been around 238 deaths while over 900 are injured. “We expect to find more bodies. Our focus now is to rescue as many people as possible and seven national and four state disaster teams are engaged in the operation,” he said.
The toll is likely to go up as several coaches are still lying scattered on the tracks.
Jena added that the biggest challenge was to extricate those in two compressed coaches, which are lying on top of the other.
A total of 200 ambulances, 45 Mobile Health Teams have been deployed while 50 additional doctors mobilised along with 25 teams of doctors from SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, and forensic medicine specialists.
Meanwhile, Army medical and engineering teams with ambulances and support services have been rushed from the Eastern Command to assist in the evacuation and treatment of injured citizens.
Preliminary information released by the Railways indicate that the Coromandel Express derailed after colliding with a static goods train. The Yeshwantpur-Howrah Superfast Express running on the parallel track crashed into the Coromandel Express and derailed.
Around 10 of 23 coaches, including two of general class, five of sleeper class (S1 to S5) and two of AC class (B4, B5), of Coromandel Express have been severely damaged in the collision. Two general coaches of Yashwantpur-Howrah Express also overturned, said sources in South Eastern Railway.
