Odisha: 50 dead, 350+ injured as 3 trains collide
What's the story
At least 50 people died and over 350 were injured on Friday following a three-way accident involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train at Bahanagar in Odisha's Balasore district. Reportedly, 10-12 coaches of 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and 3-4 coaches of 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express derailed. The incident occurred around 7 pm, according to officials.
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PM Modi took stock of the situation
Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 2, 2023
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Railway Minister announces ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 10 lakh
Notably, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 10 lakh for the deceased, Rs. 2 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs. 50,000 for those who received minor injuries. He also tweeted that he is rushing to the site in Odisha. "Rescue teams mobilised from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. NDRF, State govt. teams and Airforce also mobilised," he further tweeted.
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Rescue operations are on
Per reports, four units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), three units of NDRF and 60 ambulances are working to rescue the injured. Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had assigned the Revenue Minister and a team of top officials to oversee the rescue operations. Separately, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said she was monitoring the situation along with the chief secretary.
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Here is Banerjee's post
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