The flagging-off ceremony of the Vande Bharat Express train from Goa to Mumbai which was set for Saturday has been cancelled due to the train mishap in Odisha's Balasore, a Konkan railway official said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to going to launch the very first Vande Bharat Express train from Madgaon in Goa to Mumbai in Maharashtra virtually. On Friday, a devastating triple crash in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday evening resulted in at least 233 fatalities and over 900 injuries. The collision involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train.
The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has adjourned all its programmes related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's ninth anniversary in the wake of the tragic train accident. The Bharatiya Janata Party had planned to organise a host of programmes across the country between May 30 and June 30 as the government completes nine years in office.
Similarly, DMK announced that all events scheduled in the state today for the birth centenary of former CM M Karunanidhi stand cancelled as well. Only CM MK Stalin would pay tribute to Kalaignar Statue and Kalaignar Memorial, the rest of all public meetings and events are cancelled, said the party.
PM Modi expressed distress over the train accident in Odisha on Friday and all possible assistance was being given to those affected.
He announced additional ex gratia compensation from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF):
- Rs 2 lakh for the deceased
- Rs 50,000 for the injured
Meanwhile, the Indian Railways has announced the compensation for the victims of the train crash Rs 10 lakh for the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.
In one of the worst railway disasters in India, at least 233 people were killed and more than 900 injured when three trains collided one after another in a horrific sequence in Odisha's Balasore district, setting off a massive rescue and evacuation process, officials said on Saturday. The train crash happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday, prompting the Railway Ministry to order a probe.
An inquiry into the train accident will be led by A M Chowdhary, Commissioner Railway Safety, South East Circle, the Indian Railways said in a statement.