Odisha train accident: Death toll rises to 288; PM Modi inspects site, says stringent action to be taken against those found guilty

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the Coromandel Express train involved in a horrific rail tragedy in Odisha on Friday entered the loop line and crashed into a goods train parked there instead of the main line just ahead of the Bahanagar Bazar station, a source said. Read more

PM Narendra Modi lands at Balasore in an IAF helicopter to visit the train accident site.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the horrific train accident in Odisha's Balasore district is the “biggest of the century” and a proper investigation is needed to get to the truth.

Banerjee, who was the railway minister twice, flew to the accident site on Saturday afternoon to take stock of rescue operations.

Huge cranes and bulldozers have been brought in to raise the last coach, which rescuers had not been able to reach as yet in operations to pull out survivors and the dead from the mangled steel of three trains that derailed one on top of another in a horrific sequence. Officials said this coach was buried as another passenger wagon jumped rail on top of it. The death toll is expected to jump once this wagon is brought up. 

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday deputed a team led by Labour Minister Santosh Lad to ensure the safety of people from the state in the aftermath of the Odisha train accident.

He sought reports from the Chief Secretary and discussed with the officers concerned by directing them to visit the spot to ensure the safety of people from the state, and provide all necessary support to them, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a release.

A team headed by Minister Lad, accompanied by Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Disaster Management and other officers has already left for Balasore where the accident occurred, it said.

The US, Russia and the UN were among those who condoled the deadly triple-train crash. US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti offered condolences to the families of victims. He stated that the US stands with India in this time of grief.

"Deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic train derailment in Odisha. Speedy recovery to the injured," said Russia’s ambassador Denis Alipov.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani tweeted his condolences and said a prayer for the victims with the hope that those still trapped will be rescued.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen offered her condolences. 

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' also expressed grief.

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, UK MP, said he was “deeply saddened to learn about the tragic rail crash in #Odisha. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. You are in our thoughts and prayers’’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go to Odisha on Saturday. He will then visit the hospital in Cuttack where many of the injured are being treated. The PM has also convened a high-level meeting to review the relief and rescue operations.

Huge cranes and bulldozers have been brought in to raise a coach which has been buried by the impact of another wagon falling on as rescue workers wield gas torches and electric cutters to pull out survivors and the dead from the mangled steel of three trains that derailed one on top of another in a horrific sequence.

#WATCH | Aerial visuals from ANI’s drone camera show the extent of damage at the spot of the #BalasoreTrainAccident in Odisha. pic.twitter.com/8rf5E6qbQV

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023

#WATCH | Odisha | Visuals from Balasore Medical College and Hospital where some of the people injured in #BalasoreTrainAccident have been admitted.

All the injured have been admitted to various hospitals in the state. pic.twitter.com/jx3yxT0lMt

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened a meeting to review the situation following the Odisha train accident.

UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi has expressed  condolences to the families and the Government of India. “I'm deeply saddened to hear the news of the train crash in Odisha, India. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and with the emergency services. Heartfelt condolences to the people and the Government of India,” Korosi, the president of the 77th session of the General Assembly tweeted.

Wielding gas torches and electric cutters, rescuers worked through the night to pull out survivors and the dead from the mangled steel of the three trains that derailed one on top of another in a horrific sequence. Officials in Bhubaneswar said 200 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units besides 1,200 personnel were working at the accident site. The bodies were being taken to the hospitals in all kinds of vehicles, including tractors.

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday visited the train accident site in Balasore. Vaishnaw said their focus is on rescue and relief operations.

After the horrific train accident, people queued up in Balasore to donate blood for the injured.