Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people after two passenger trains derailed Friday night in India, killing more than 230 people and leaving hundreds of others trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars, in one of the country's deadliest train crashes in decades. The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, 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. 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, Sharma said. Also read: Passenger train derails in India, killing at least 50 and trapping many others A third train carrying freight was also involved, the Press Trust of India reported, but there was no immediate confirmation from railroad authorities. PTI said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train. The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. As dawn approached on Saturday, Jena said that at least 233 people were dead. In the aftermath, scores of dead bodies lay on the ground near the train tracks covered by white sheets, as locals and rescuers raced to help survivors. Television footage on Saturday morning showed teams of rescuers and police sifting through the ruins as the search operation carried on. 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 the state. Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks. "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. 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. In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India in decades. 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.

A 57-year-old man allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train in Natore Saturday. The deceased was identified as Samir Kumar Kundu, who worked with the district health department. He also used to play football for different clubs in the district. Kamrun Nahar, Natore railway station master, said that Samir jumped in front of the Chilahat-bound inter-city train ‘Titumir Express’ coming from Rajshahi as it was just entering the platform. Read: Lightning strikes kill three in Kushtia, Natore "He died on the spot," the station master said. Local people claimed that the deceased had been suffering from depression.  

Two siblings were killed and their father was injured when a train hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Talshohor level crossing in Ashuganj upazila early Sunday. The deceased were identified as Rubel, 33 and Pavel, 23, two sons of Sadek Mia of the upazila. Dharmajit Sinha, sub-inspector of Ashuganj Police Station, said the Dhaka-bound mail train from Chattogram hit the auto-rickshaw carrying four people while it was passing the level crossing, leaving Pavel dead on the spot and two others injured. Also read: Moulvibazar train collision: Death toll rises to three Injured Rubel and his father Sadek Mia were taken to a local hospital where doctors declared Rubel dead. Also read: Sitakunda: Train crashes into pickup truck; no casualties reported