50 dead, 350 injured in Odisha as 3 trains collide; helplines 06782-262286, 033-22143526/ 22535185

At least 50 people died and 350 people were injured as a three way accident involving Bengaluru-Howrah superfast express, the Coromandel Express and goods train on three separate tracks occurred at Bahanaga Bazar in Odisha's Balasore district.

A railway official said that several coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru–Howrah superfast express, travelling to Howrah, derailed and fell into the up line.

"These derailed coaches collided with [the] 12841 Shalimar–Chennai Coromandel Express and its coaches capsized too," he said.

The coaches of the Coromandel Express in turn hit the wagons of a goods train on a third line after getting derailed, the official said.

The accident occurred at around 7 pm, about 255 km from Howrah, he said.

Odisha's special relief commissioner Satyabrata Sahoo said 47 people have so far been admitted to Balasore Medical College and Hospital.

A PTI reporter at the spot said several people were trapped under the derailed coaches, and locals were assisting emergency services personnel to rescue them, but darkness was hindering the operation.

Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena said 132 injured persons were admitted to Soro, Gopalpur and Khantapada health centres, in addition to those at Balasore Medical College and Hospital.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed special relief secretary Satyabrata Sahoo and revenue minister Pramila Malik to rush to the accident site, officials said.

Accident relief trains have been dispatched to the spot, a South Eastern Railway official said.

Four units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), three units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 60 ambulances were working to rescue the injured, officials said.

The Odisha government has issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044-25330952 (Chennai).

Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma shared a slightly different understanding of the chronology, saying that 10–12 coaches of the Shalimar–Chennai Coromandel Express had first derailed near Balasore (aka Baleshwar) and fallen on the neighbouring track. After some time, the other Bengaluru–Howrah superfast train dashed in from Yeswanthpur en route Howrah and crashed into the derailed coaches, resulting in the derailment of 3–4 of its own coaches.

West Bengal chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi said the state was sending a team led by minister Manas Bhunia and MP Dola Sen to the spot.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she was personally monitoring the situation along with the chief secretary and other officials.

"We are coordinating with [the] 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 [are] initiated," she tweeted.

PM, president express grief

Expressing distress over the train accident in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said rescue operations were underway at the site and all possible assistance was being given to those affected.

Modi spoke to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take stock of the situation.

President Droupadi Murmu said she prayed for the success of rescue operations and the quick recovery of the injured in the train accident.

Stalin dials Naveen Patnaik, offers to depute medical teams

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin on Friday spoke to his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik following the accident of the Coromandel Express , and announced that he was deputing a four-member panel to coordinate the rescue of Tamil citizens on the train.

Later, a state government release said Stalin had offered Patnaik medical assistance for the injured, and would be deputing medical teams and other aid to Odisha, if required.