Rail Accident
Train accident in Odisha: Hotline opened for query about Bangladeshis
A hotline has been opened to provide information or query about Bangladeshis following the horrific train crash in India’s Odisha.Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Kolkata issued a press release in this regard soon after the accident.It also expressed profound condolences to the families of victims of the tragic Coromandel Express accident, and wished early recovery of the injured.For further query it asked to contact +919038353533 (WhatsApp).
Also read: India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in country's deadliest rail accident in decades
At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha's fire department, told The Associated Press.
He said more than 800 injured passengers were taken to various hospitals with many in critical condition.The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata on Friday night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state's top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.Read more: India train crash: some Bangladeshis suffered minor injuries, says deputy high commission
India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in country's deadliest rail accident in decades
Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people on Saturday (June 3, 2023) after two passenger trains derailed in India, killing more than 280 people. Hundreds of others were trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars overnight in one of the country's deadliest train crashes in decades.
The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata on Friday (June 2, 2023) night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.
About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state's top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.
At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha's fire department, told The Associated Press. He said more than 800 injured passengers were taken to various hospitals with many in critical condition.
Also Read: India train crash death toll rises above 230 with 900 injured as rescuers comb through debris
Rescuers were cutting through the destroyed rail cars to find people who may still be trapped. Sarangi said it was possible that people were stuck underneath but that it was unlikely they would still be alive.
"By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies," he said. "This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career."
Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, causing up to three coaches of the second train to also derail, he added.
A third train carrying freight was also involved, the Press Trust of India reported, but there was no immediate confirmation of that from railroad authorities. PTI said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train.
Read more: India train crash: Few Bangladeshis suffered minor injuries, says deputy high commission
The death toll rose steadily throughout the night as footage showed shattered carriages that had overturned completely. Scores of dead bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the train tracks as locals and rescuers raced to help survivors.
Teams of rescuers and police continued sifting through the ruins on Saturday morning as the search operation carried on, amid fears that the death toll is likely to rise further. Scores of people also showed up at a local hospital to donate blood.
Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night at the accident site. Saturday was declared as a day of mourning in Odisha as the state's chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, reached the district to meet injured passengers.
Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks.
Read more: Railway suspends 3 employees over Cumilla train collision, salvage work continues
"The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water," PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying.
Passenger Vandana Kaleda said that inside the train during the derailment people were "falling on each other" as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks.
"As I stepped out of the washroom, suddenly the train tilted. I lost my balance. ... Everything went topsy turvy. People started falling on each other and I was shocked and could not understand what happened. My mind stopped working," she said, adding she felt lucky to survive.
Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces.
Read more: Train accident in Odisha: Hotline opened for query about Bangladeshis
The derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state, PTI said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were with the bereaved families.
"May the injured recover soon," tweeted Modi, who said he had spoken to the railway minister and that "all possible assistance" was being offered.
Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India's railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.
Read more: A look at deadly train crashes in India in recent decades
In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India.
In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.
Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.
More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.
Read more: India sees huge potential for cooperation with Bangladesh Railway
Feni's death traps: 9 killed in 7 months at unmanned level crossings
Unauthorised level crossings have become a death trap in Feni district where nine people were killed in the past seven months, thanks to the dereliction of the authorities concerned.
Every year, a number of people die in rail accidents in Bangladesh, despite trains being considered one of the safest modes of travel. In 2021, some 147 people lost their lives in 123 railway accidents, according to the official data of Road Safety Foundation released in January, 2022.
Many people have died in train accidents in Bangladesh and a number of probe bodies were formed to look into the accident but the authorities concerned have only fallen on deaf ears.
Read 28-yr-old killed by train in Ctg
The recent Mirsarai train accident on Dhaka-Chattogram rail route is an example of the sheer negligence of the rail authorities.
Twelve tourists including students were killed when a speeding express train rammed into the microbus carrying the tourists at a level crossing in Mirsarai upazila on July 29.
The gateman was suspended after the accident, having been absent from his post at the time of the accident. But unmanned level crossings are not a rarity in Feni.
Read Mirsharai tragedy: Untimely deaths of indomitable youths, their dreams
Local sources said there are 12 unauthorised level crossings on the Dhaka-Chattogram route in Feni and the 23-km route stretching from Sashardi to Muhuriganj has 21 authorised level crossings.
Sub Assistant Engineer of Railway East, Riton Chakma, said people are stretching roads over the rail crossing as per their wish and most of the unapproved level crossings are in Muhuriganj - where there are six unmanned level crossings.
Zaria-Mymensingh rail communication snapped
A passenger train derailed at a rail crossing in Purbadhala on the Zaria-Mymensingh route on Tuesday morning, snapping train communication.
16 dead, over 100 injured in fatal train collision in Brahmanbaria
At least 16 passengers were killed and over 100 others injured in a fatal collision between two trains on Dhaka-Chattogram route in Mandbagh Railway Station in Kasba upazila early Tuesday.
The deadly collision between Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita Express from Chattogram and Chattogram-bound Udayan Express from Sylhet took place around 3am, said Deputy Commissioner Hayat-Ud-Dowllah Khan, who visited the spot right after the crash.
“So far, 16 people have died in the deadly accident, but the figure may go up further,” the DC added.