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Dozens killed in train crash in eastern India At least 50 people killed and hundreds injured in train crash in eastern India
(about 1 hour later)
Coromandel Express passenger service derails and collides with goods train in Odisha state Coromandel Express passenger service derails and collides with Howrah Superfast Express in Odisha state
At least 50 people have been killed and 300 injured after a passenger train derailed and collided with a goods train in eastern India. At least 50 people have been killed and 350 injured after two passenger trains collided in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
Rescuers were attempting to free dozens more people feared trapped in the derailed coaches, said DB Shinde, the Balasore district administrator in Odisha state. The Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, collided with another passenger train, the Howrah Superfast Express, railway officials said.
Amitabh Sharma, a railway ministry spokesperson, said pieces of the derailed train had fallen on to a nearby track where another passenger train travelling in the opposite direction hit them. Details were not immediately known. The Howrah Superfast Express derailed and became entangled with the Coromandel Express, South Eastern Railway authorities said in a statement. Media reports had earlier said the crash was between the Coromandel Express and a goods train.
The Press Trust of India news agency said the derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah in West Bengal to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. There was no official confirmation yet on the number of dead in the disaster, which took place in Balasore district. Media reports said at least 50 people had died.
Television images showed rescue teams trying to remove passengers from mangled coaches. Delhi television news reported that 179 people had been taken to hospital. So far more than 350 injured passengers had been admitted to various hospitals, Odisha’s chief secretary Pradeep Jena told reporters.
Images from the scene showed rescuers climbing up the mangled wreck of one of the trains to find survivors.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said authorities’ priority was “removing the living to the hospitals, that’s our first concern, to look after the living”.
Rescue operations were underway at the site and “all possible assistance” is being given to those affected, the prime minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
Rescue teams have been mobilised from Odisha’s Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in West Bengal, federal minister for railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a tweet.
The National Disaster Response Force, state government teams and the air force had also mobilised to respond to the incident, he added.
Despite government efforts to improve safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, which with 40,000 miles (64,000km) of track is the world’s largest network under one management.Despite government efforts to improve safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, which with 40,000 miles (64,000km) of track is the world’s largest network under one management.
Two trains collided near Delhi in August 1995, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India’s history.Two trains collided near Delhi in August 1995, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India’s history.
Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signalling equipment.Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signalling equipment.
More than 12 million people travel on 14,000 trains a day across India.More than 12 million people travel on 14,000 trains a day across India.
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