A tragic train accident occurred in Odisha, resulting in the loss of more than 200 lives and leaving approximately 900 people injured. The incident involved three trains: the Bangalore-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a freight train.
The collision took place near the Bahanaga railway station in Balasore district, which is located around 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. The accident occurred around 7 p.m. Friday.
The derailment of 10 to 12 carriages of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express caused them to fall onto the opposite track. Consequently, the Yashwantpur-Howrah Superfast train collided with the derailed carriages of the Coromandel Express, causing three or four of its own carriages to derail.
Unfortunately, many passengers were trapped in the overturned carriages of the super-fast train. Rescue operations are currently underway to save and help the affected people.
This incident is among the deadliest train accidents in India since its independence. Prior to this, on June 6, 1981, Bihar witnessed the country’s worst rail accident when a train plunged into the Bagmati River while crossing a bridge, killing more than 750 people. Also, on 20 August 1995, the Purushottam Express collided with the stationary Kalindi Express near Firozabad, resulting in an official death toll of around 305 people.
Some deadliest train crashes in India
| Date | Accident Description | Death Toll |
|---|---|---|
| June 6, 1981 | Train fell into the river Bagmati while crossing a bridge in Bihar | 750+ |
| August 1995 | Purushottam Express collided with stationary Kalindi Express near Firozabad | 300+ |
| July 1998 | Express train derailed and crashed into a monsoon-swollen lake in Quilon | 106 |
| November 1998 | Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express collided with three derailed coaches of Frontier Golden Temple Mail in Khanna, Punjab | 212 |
| August 1999 | Collision between two trains near Calcutta | 285 |
| November 20, 2016 | Indore-Rajendra Nagar Express crashed near Pukhrayan, Kanpur | 152 |
| September 2002 | Howrah Rajdhani Express derailed over a bridge on the Dhave River in Rafiganj | 140 |
Tragedy strikes again after 14 years
Tragedy has struck once again after a 14-year gap with the Coromandel Express involved in another accident. Earlier, on February 13, 2009, a devastating incident occurred in the Jajpur district of Odisha. During a track change, 13 carriages of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express from Howrah derailed, resulting in the loss of 16 lives and leaving 161 passengers seriously injured.
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