Coromandel Express Derails In Odisha's Balasore After Collision With Goods Train, Several Feared Dead
The high-speed train derailed due to a collision with a freight train.
The Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near the Bahanaga Station in Balasore, Odisha, on Friday evening, leaving several people injured. The high-speed train derailed due to a collision with a freight train, news agency ANI reported.
After the accident, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee tweeted: "Shocked to know that the Shalimar- Coromondel express, carrying passengers from West Bengal, collided with a goods train near Balasore today evening and some of our outbound people have been seriously affected/ injured. We are coordinating with Odisha government and South Eastern Railways for our people's sake."
"Our emergency control room has been activated at once with numbers 033- 22143526/ 22535185. All out efforts for rescue, retrieval, aid and assistance initiated. We are sending a 5- 6 members team to the spot to cooperate with the Odisha government and railway authorities and to assist rescue operations. I am monitoring the situation continually personally with Chief Secretary and other senior officers," she further stated.
Shocked to know that the Shalimar- Coromondel express, carrying passengers from West Bengal, collided with a goods train near Balasore today evening and some of our outbound people have been seriously affected/ injured. We are coordinating with Odisha government and South…
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) June 2, 2023
West Bengal government has provided the following helpline numbers for more information:
- Howrah: 03326382217
- Khragpur: 8972073925, 9332392339
- Balasore: 8249591559, 7978418322
Upon receiving the information about the collision, nearby law enforcement and railway personnel arrived on the scene and, in cooperation with the community, are presently engaged in rescue efforts.
"We have rushed 15 ambulances to the spot and started shifting patients to Soro CHC. We expect some to be sent to higher facilities," Addl DMET stated.
According to initial reports cited by a railway official, the Coromandel train was in motion along the primary track. Following the accident, it collided with a stationary freight train positioned on the side track.
VIDEO | Several boggies of the Chennai-Howrah Coromandel Express are reported to have derailed after it collided with a goods train. Several casualties are also feared in the accident. pic.twitter.com/lPlVtG5uy2
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 2, 2023
After the derailment, Special Relief Commissioner Office stated: "An Express Train met with an accident near Bahanaga railway station in Balasore district. Teams have left for the spot for search and rescue operation. Collector, Balasore has also been directed to reach the spot to make all necessary arrangements and intimate the SRC if any additional help is required from the state level."
Odisha | An Express Train met with an accident near Bahanaga railway station in Balasore district. Teams have left for the spot for search and rescue operation. Collector, Balasore has also been directed to reach the spot to make all necessary arrangements and intimate the SRC if… pic.twitter.com/N4AGWQVKkX
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2023
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) for Odisha, along with senior officers Hemant Sharma, Balwant Singh, Arvind Agarwal, and the DG of fire services have been despatched to the spot to supervise rescue and relief operations. "Medical colleges and all hospitals in and around Balasore district have been put on high alert. The Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital has been alerted as well. Three NDRF units, four ODRAF units and 60 ambulances have been mobilised," said additional chief secretary and Development Commissioner, Odisha.
Earlier in April, a train operator lost his life and four other operators sustained injuries as a result of a goods train failing to obey a signal and colliding into another stationary goods train in Singhpur railway station which was located about 100km away from Bhopal in Shahdol district.
The train that failed to stop at its signal departed from Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and was on its way to Sanjay Gandhi Thermal Power station located in Birsinghpur in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. At approximately 6:30 in the morning, it made a forceful impact with the rear engine of a stationary goods train at the station.
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