Odisha Train Accident: 2 Teams Of Doctors From AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Sent To Balasore, Says Union Health Minister
Two teams of doctors have been sent to Balasore and Cuttack to assist in the relief operations at the site of the train accident, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said doctors from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar have been dispatched to Balasore and Cuttack in Odisha to assist in the relief operations at the site of the train accident. The death toll of the devastating triple train accident has risen to 261. Mandaviya said the two teams of doctors have been sent to the cities to provide medical assistance to the victims of the tragic accident. The collision that took place on Friday evening, involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train.
"Two teams of doctors from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar have been dispatched for Balasore and Cuttack to assist in relief operations at the rail accident site in Odisha," Mandaviya said on Twitter.
"We are providing all required help and medical assistance to the victims of the tragic train accident to save precious lives," he added.
A South Eastern Railway official told PTI, that the rescue operations at the site have been completed.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for South Eastern Railway said, that the number of casualties in the railway accident increased to 261 and that another 650 injured passengers are being treated at nearby hospitals in Odisha.
"The number of casualties in Friday's railway accident has increased to 261. Another 650 injured passengers are being treated at various hospitals in Odisha," according to Aditya Chowdhury, a spokesperson for South Eastern Railway.
Some 200 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units were working at the accident site, besides 1,200 personnel who rush the injured to hospitals. The air force has sent two rescue helicopters with medical teams to evacuate critically injured passengers, PTI reported.
According to the report, the district hospital in Balasore looked like a warzone, with the injured people lying on stretchers in the corridors and rooms stuffed with extra beds to accommodate people pouring in. Harried medical staff were helping as many patients as they could. Some of the victims were from different states and had trouble communicating. About 526 railway accident victims have been admitted to this one single hospital, the report said.
Policemen and locals have been volunteering to donate blood at hospitals through the night, PTI reported. More than 2,000 people gathered at the Balasore Medical College and Hospital in the night to help the injured, and many also donated blood, officials said.
The train crash, the fourth deadliest in India according to available records, happened near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. While it is not clear what caused the crash, sources indicate a possible signalling failure.
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