A railway official said that the death toll in Friday’s train accident in Odisha’s Balasore has risen to 288. Three trains – Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train – were involved in the accident, one of the worst railway tragedies in the country. Fortunately, the engine drivers and guards of the two trains were safe and those injured in the Odisha triple train accident are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, a railway official said on Saturday.
The engine driver and the guard of the goods train, however, escaped unhurt, the official said. The loco pilot and his assistant as well as the guard of the Coromandel Express and the guard of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express were on the injured list. “The loco pilot, assistant loco pilot and guard of Coromandel Express and guard of Bengaluru-Howrah Express are undergoing treatment at different hospitals,” said Rajesh Kumar, senior divisional commercial manager of Kharagpur division of South Eastern Railway.
What happened on Friday?
The goods train was standing in a loop line next to the tracks through which the Coromandel Express was passing, when it derailed and some of its coaches fell on it. At least 261 people were killed and over 900 injured in Friday night’s accident, which is one of the worst railway accidents in the country.
The train accident, the fourth deadliest in India as per available records, occurred near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, following which the Ministry of Railways ordered an inquiry.
What Really Went Wrong With the Ill-fated Coromandel Express
Preliminary investigation has revealed that the Coromandel Express train involved in Friday’s gruesome train accident in Odisha entered the loop line and collided with a goods train standing there instead of the main line just ahead of Bahanagar Bazar station. The coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express overturned after colliding with the coaches of the Coromandel Express, which were scattered on the adjacent track. The Coromandel Express was running at 128 kmph, while the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was running at 116 kmph.
According to sources in the news agency PTI, the report has been submitted to the Railway Board. Loop lines of the Indian Railways are built in a station area – in this case, Bahanagar Bazar station – to accommodate more trains to ease operations. Loop lines are typically 750 meters long to accommodate full length freight trains with multiple engines.
(with inputs from agencies)
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