A tangle of pulverized wagons, rows of bodies being recovered by rescuers… Horror reigns in Balasore this Saturday morning after one of the deadliest rail disasters in Indian history. Three trains collided on Friday night, killing nearly 300 people, according to a preliminary report. 20 minutes takes stock.
What happened ?
According to Amitabh Sharma, director of Indian Railways, two passenger trains were “actively involved in the accident”. A third train, a freight convoy, was parked at the spot where the tragedy happened, he said, without giving details. According to information from the Guardian, he was actually between the two passenger trains.
The Coromandel Express, which connects Kolkata in West Bengal to Chennai in Tamil Nadu, is said to have collided with this freight train, which in turn derailed and overturned at least two carriages of the Howrah Superfast Express traveling in the opposite direction. turning back. With incredible violence, the impact pulverized the cars in the air, the metal parts of which were twisted by the impact. At least 10 of the Coromandel’s 23 carriages are badly damaged.
What is the balance sheet and where are the relief efforts?
The latest report shows at least 288 dead and 850 injured. But the emergency services continue to work hard to free survivors. Gaps are opened in the metal walls of the wagons to allow dogs to pass in search of survivors while the ambulances relentlessly pass, transporting the wounded to the overcrowded hospital in Bhadrak district. Buses have also transported injured people to other nearby hospitals, where volunteers are lining up to donate blood.
“The rescue operations on the ground are ongoing and will only be completed in several hours,” said Sudhanshu Sarangi, chief of the Odisha State Fire Department. “The number of casualties on the ground or the number of injuries is very difficult to estimate at this time,” said Amitabh Sharma, director of Indian Railways, as many passengers are likely to be trapped.
Train accidents, an Indian disease?
Since the turn of the century, 13 rail accidents in India, including at least three caused by bombings, have each claimed more than 50 lives. Recent accidents included the Patna-Indore express train derailment on the morning of November 20, 2016, when most of the passengers were asleep, killing 146 people. The deadliest rail accident in this country occurred on June 6, 1981, when in Bihar state (east), seven wagons from a train crossing a bridge crashed into a river, the Bagmati, killing between 800 and 1,000 people.
However, safety on the rails has improved significantly in recent years thanks to massive new investments and technological modernization. But it will take time to modernize the entire huge rail network of the world’s most populous country. “My thoughts are with the bereaved. May the injured recover quickly,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, adding that he had spoken to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to provide “an update on the situation.”