This Friday, June 2, one of the worst railway accidents in the last decade in India was recorded, after the crash of three trains, two passenger and one freight, near the city of Balasore, Odisha region, in the east from the country. The rescuers assure that the tasks are finished with a balance of 280 deaths and almost a thousand injured; the most serious have been transferred to hospitals in Balasore.
First modification: Last modification:
Mourning and shock in India after the derailment of three trains: two passenger and one freight, in the eastern region of Odisha. There is still no absolute clarity about how the tragedy occurred.
According to Indian Railways spokesman Amitabh Sharma, the collision between the first two trains involved occurred around 7:00 p.m., after which another passenger train, which was passing at high speed, collided with several of the overturned carriages.
This catastrophe has left 280 dead and nearly 1,000 injured.
Nearly 24 hours after the accident, the rescue efforts ended, according to local authorities and the Ministry of Trains, who in recent hours have concentrated on transferring injured victims and extracting bodies trapped between the bent metal of the derailed carriages.
Some passengers, victims of the accident, reported through social networks and in the local media scenes of confusion, pain and stress that were recorded at the site of the derailment, located 220 km from the city of Calcutta. Local television has also recorded the cries and screams of those affected after the accident.
The causes are subject to investigation by the railway authorities.
Odisha Train Accident: Rescue operation completed at derailment site and restoration work has begun.
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) June 3, 2023
The Indian Ministry of Railways confirms that the rescue work is complete.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a message of condolences on his Twitter account and traveled to the region on Saturday. For his part, the minister of trains, communications and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, assured that “compensation” will be given to the victims or the relatives of the deceased.
Each family of the deceased person will receive 10 lakhs (one million Indian rupees), about 12 thousand US dollars. Also, each injured will have 200,000 Indian rupees, approximately 2,500 US dollars.
The Army supported the tasks of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Odisha Disaster Action Force (ODRAF), which according to the India Todayallowed to speed up the transfer of wounded by air.
Given the rescue and reconstruction tasks on the tracks, South Eastern Railways advertisement the cancellation or diversion of at least 31 services in the region, until Sunday, June 4.
Railway safety, the main challenge for trains in India:
Despite efforts to improve train safety with an investment in technology, hundreds of accidents are recorded each year on its rail network. For reasons ranging from human error, obsolete equipment in poor condition, or because of animals, mainly cows, on the tracks.
Took stock of the situation at the site of the tragedy in Odisha. Words can’t capture my deep sorrow. We stand committed to providing all possible assistance to those affected. I laud all those working round the clock, on the ground and helping out in relief work.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 3, 2023
Indian PM Narendra Modi visited the crash site on Saturday.
The railway infrastructure is administered by the Indian State and is one of the legacies of British colonization. However, system saturation, track wear, railcar damage such as doors not closing and passenger exposure to electrical systems are chronic system problems.
This is not a minor issue considering that the country has the fourth largest train network in the world: 13 million people travel on 14,000 trains through India every day, according to indian railways.
A look at recent decades reflects how common rail accidents, mainly collisions, are in India: In October 2018, a train plowed into a crowd celebrating a religious festival in northern India, just outside Amritsar, city located in the state of Punjab.
In November 2016, at least 146 people were killed when a passenger train derailed between the cities of Indore and Patna. The balance of injured exceeded 200 people.
Also between 2005 and 2011 three accidents with more than 50 deaths can be counted. However, the worst recorded in decades was in 1995, when two passenger trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people.
With AP, AFP and local Indian media
#Crash #trains #India #dead #cancellation #services