Train Crash in India, A Tragic News in The History of India
Tragic News in India: In a horrific catastrophe that occurred in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, 261 people tragically died and an estimated 900 more were injured. Officials claim that the intensive search and rescue effort, which required the dispatch of more than 200 ambulances and the help of army personnel, is now complete.
The
tragic collision, which included three trains and took place in Balasore,
Odisha, was India's bloodiest rail accident in over two decades. The tragedy
occurred on Friday and wounded over 900 individuals, according to Pradeep Jena,
the state's senior civil servant.
The rescue efforts were effectively completed, according to a
Saturday report from the ANI news agency. Numerous firefighters, police
officials, sniffer dogs, and teams from the National Disaster Response Force
participated in the search and rescue operations. The participation of army
troops, air force helicopters, and local authorities also helped to support the
relief operation.
In order to offer medical care for the injured a
nd others who
were still at the accident scene, more than 200 ambulances and an additional
100 physicians were dispatched to the area.
The Howrah
Superfast Express, which runs between Bengaluru and Howrah, West Bengal,
collided with the Coromandel Express, which runs between Kolkata and Chennai,
at about 7 p.m. local time on Friday. Official comments detailing the potential
causes of the incident have not yet been issued, and authorities have not
consistently described which train derailed first and became entangled with the
other.
The Hindustan Times' Debabrata Mohanty claims that four livestock waggons on the railway leaving Kolkata derailed just before 7 o'clock. No one knows how it happened, but it was moving at a speed of about 100 km/h, he said. The Bengaluru-bound train then collided with two of the wrecked rail cars. Mohanty emphasised that the majority of fatalities resulted from the derailment of one specific train rather than the collision of the two trains.
A survivor
described the nightmare he had after being startled awake by the unexpected
overturn of the carriage he was riding in. He spoke to reporters while seated
on the ground in the dark, only yards from the accident scene. "My sleep
broke, and 10–15 people fell on top of me," he said. "I hurt my neck
and hand." I observed that someone had lost a hand and someone had lost a
leg. I left and have been sitting here ever since.
On Friday,
dozens of young people lined up in front of a government hospital in Soro,
Odisha, to give blood. A tweet from Pradeep Jena said, "I am personally
indebted and grateful to all the volunteers who've donated blood for a noble
cause."
According to
Jena, the event was a "violent and tragic accident involving three
trains—two passenger trains and one goods train," and that inquiries into
the tragedy's cause were in progress. Indian Railways spokesperson Amitabh
Sharma stated that the specifics and timeline of what happened were not
immediately evident.
The goal,
according to Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha, who is scheduled to
visit the site on Saturday, is to "transfer the living to the hospitals.
Our top priority is to take care of the living.
The majority of
the several hundred accidents that occur on India's railway system each year
are blamed on human error or ageing signalling technology. It is critical to
enhance safety measures given that around 12 million passengers commute on
14,000 trains every day across 64,000 kilometres (40,000 miles) of track.
Former Indian Railways general manager Sudhanshu Mani commended recent
expenditures in track maintenance and safety measures. While the occurrence was
regrettable, he emphasised that fewer accidents occur now than in the past, and
current initiatives seek to further improve safety.
Regarding the
overall number of passengers aboard the trains involved in the collision, there
is yet no official confirmation. A train drove over spectators viewing
fireworks at a religious event in Amritsar in October 2018; similarly, the
Indore-Patna train crash in November 2016 has brought attention to the need for
enhanced safety measures.
Narendra Modi, the prime
minister of India, announced that rescue efforts were progressing and pledged
to help people in need in any way he could. In addition to visiting the
accident scene and the Cuttack hospital, where many of the injured were being
treated, Modi presided over a high-level conference and planned to do so later
in the day.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the railway minister, promised
compensation for the impacted families after rushing to the incident scene on
Friday. One million rupees ($12,000) would be given to the relatives of the
deceased, $2,400 would be given to those who had "grievous" injuries,
and $600 would be given to those who suffered "minor" injuries.
(Sources: Al Jazeera and news organisations as sources)
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