The Coromandel Express, which travels from Shalimar station in West Bengal to Chennai in Tamil Nadu, collided with a goods train on Friday in Odisha's Balasore district, causing at least 179 injuries. Many express train passengers are believed to be dead after the incident near the Bahanaga railway station in the Balasore area, and many more are believed to be trapped within the superfast train's upturned carriages.
Following the accident with the goods train, four coaches on the express train derailed. The injured passengers were sent to Khantapada Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centres in Soro and Gopalpur, and the Balasore Medical College. 30 of the 179 people who were hurt are in critical condition.
Teams have been dispatched to the accident scene for a search and rescue effort, according to the Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office. Pramila Mallik, the state's minister of disaster management, and senior SRC officers were given the task of overseeing the operation by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
In order to help with the operation, the government of Odisha has also set up generators and lighting at the scene of the disaster. 22 members of the first NDRF crew have already arrived at the location, and another 32 are on their way.
The number of injured passengers exceeds the capability of the ambulances, according to Chief Secretary of Odisha Pradeep Jena, who claimed that almost 50 ambulances had arrived at the scene of the disaster. The injured are being transported to hospitals in large numbers of buses, he continued.
Additionally, the SRC instructed the District Magistrate of Balasore to visit the accident scene, make all necessary arrangements, and notify the SRC if any additional assistance from the state was required.
Images taken at the scene demonstrate how, following the incident, the Coromandel Express engine crossed over the cargo train. Both trains were on the same track, according to the original report. A probe into the circumstances surrounding the accident has been launched.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, stated that the state is collaborating with the governments of Odisha and South Eastern Railways to assist in the rescue effort.
