Odisha's Director General of Fire Services Sudhanshu Sarangi on Saturday said that the cranes have arrived at Balasore train accident site to pull up the coaches. However, he said that "we don't expect any survivors under them," news agency ANI reported.
Speaking with media, Sudhanshu Sarangi stated: "We are disheartened, we had never seen so many bodies in our life."
The death toll in Odisha train tragedy has risen to 288 while 747 people have been injured along with 56 in grievous condition, said the Indian Railways in a statement released a 2 pm on Saturday. Following the Coromandel Express accident which is suspected to have occurred due to the absence of 'Kavach' anti-collission system on the route, Railways initiated a high-level probe into the incident which will be headed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, South Eastern Circle.
The train crash, considered to be the fourth deadliest in India 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.
Initial inquiries indicate that the Coromandel Express train, which was involved in a devastating rail accident in Odisha on Friday, mistakenly entered the loop line and collided with a stationary freight train there instead of taking the main line just beyond the Bahanagar Bazar station, according to a source, news agency PTI reported.
The Coromandel Express was traveling at 128 kilometers per hour while the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was moving at a slightly slower pace of 116 kilometers per hour. According to sources, the Railway Board has received the submitted report. More trains were made accessible at Bahanagar Bazar station by the Indian Railways through the establishment of loop lines to enhance their operations. Typically, the loop tracks span a distance of 750 meters in order to fit a goods train of maximum length, which often consists of multiple locomotives.