India – At least 261 people have been confirmed dead in India’s most devastating rail accident in over 20 years, after a passenger train derailed and collided with another train in eastern India on Friday. The tragic event also left around 1,000 people injured.
A preliminary government report suggests that a signal error may have caused the catastrophe. The incident occurred in the Balasore district of Odisha state, where one of the trains involved in the accident struck a parked freight train, creating a chaotic scene of wreckage and twisted rail cars.
Surviving passengers recounted the harrowing ordeal, describing “families crushed away, limbless bodies and a bloodbath on the tracks.” Video footage revealed the extent of the damage, with rescue teams working tirelessly to extract survivors from the mangled carriages and transport them to hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the scene, spoke with rescue workers, and inspected the wreckage. He is also expected to visit hospitals where survivors are being treated.
“It was horrific and heart-wrenching,” _ said one witness involved in the rescue operations, referring to the chilling screams and wails of the injured and the relatives of those killed.
Compensation has been announced for the families of the victims, with the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stating that families of the deceased will receive 1 million rupees ($12,000), while those seriously injured will get 200,000 rupees and 50,000 rupees for minor injuries. Some state governments have also pledged additional compensation.
The tragic accident has prompted calls for increased focus on safety measures and upgrading aging infrastructure within India’s rail network. India’s deadliest railway accident occurred in 1981 when a train fell off a bridge into a river in Bihar state, killing an estimated 800 people.
International leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron, have expressed their condolences over the accident.
