Balasore train accident: 30 dead, 300 injured; rescue underway [details inside]

In a major accident, several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel express train derailed near Bahanaga railway station in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday evening and several passengers are trapped, and feared dead. According to reports, 30 people are feared dead and 300 are injured.

According to initial reports, at least four coaches of the express train derailed at Bahanaga station after ramming into a goods train standing at the station.

Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu has directed the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team at Balasore to proceed to the spot immediately for search and rescue operations.

On receiving information, the Balasore Collector, the SP rushed and other officials rushed to spot to supervise the rescue operation. Railway officials are now there on the spot. About 20 ambulances have been sent to the accident spot to transport the passengers to local hospitals, officials said.

Two fire teams were sent from Bhadrak to the spot.

An emergency helpline No +91 6782 262 286 has been opened at Balasore. The Odisha government has directed the fire service DG to rush to the spot and monitor the rescue operation.

Doctors were sent from Balasore Medical College. So far, there are 10 injured passengers at Balasore Medical College, officials said.

All medical college and all hospitals in and around Balasore have been kept on alert. SCB Medical College, Cuttack has also been put on readiness.

Six-member team deployed

The West Bengal government is sending a six-member team to Odisha's Balasore where several people are feared killed after several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel express train derailed near Bahanaga railway station in the district on Friday evening.

A senior state government official said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had personally instructed Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi to send the team to the accident spot and help the people from West Bengal who were travelling.

"Since the train started from Shalimar station in West Bengal, it is natural that a good number of passengers travelling by the train are domiciles of West Bengal. The Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary are keeping a constant watch on the situation," the state government official said.

Banerjee, in a tweet, announced her decision to send a representative team from West Bengal to the accident spot. She had also expressed fear that many of the victim passengers might be from West Bengal.

"Shocked to know that the Shalimar- Coromandel express, carrying passengers from West Bengal, collided with a goods train near Balasore today evening and some of our outbound people have been seriously affected/ injured. We are coordinating with Odisha government and South Eastern Railways for our people's sake. Our emergency control room has been activated at once with numbers 033- 22143526/22535185. All out efforts for rescue, retrieval, aid and assistance initiated. We are sending a 5- 6 members team to the spot to cooperate with the Odisha government and railway authorities and to assist rescue operations. I am monitoring the situation continually personally with the Chief Secretary and other senior officers," she said in the Twitter message.

Meanwhile, sources said that West Bengal Minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia and MP Dola Sen would be part of the team.

"The state government's control room has already been activated. We are maintaining a constant touch with the Odisha government as well as the South Eastern Railways. We are yet to get the details of the casualties," the Chief Secretary said.

Meanwhile, the South Eastern Railways authorities have cancelled a number of trains that were supposed to leave from different stations in West Bengal and pass through the area where the train met with the accident.