Bhubaneswar : In India’s worst train crash of this century that occured Friday evening in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Balasore district where the tragedy occurred. From there, PM will visit the injured in hospitals. PM has called for an emergency meeting thereafter. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik are at the site. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu Minister Udayanidhi Stail are due to arrive as well.
The accident
Several coaches of the Shalimar-Chenna Coromandel Express fell off to adjacent track and hit a stationary goods train at about 7 pm Friday in Balasore district. The carriages of the goods train ended up on the opposite track where another train - the Howrah Superfast Express traveling from Yesvantpur to Howrah - hit the overturned carriages.
The coaches were mangled and wrecked near wholly from force with which the trains collided. More than 200 ambulances and hundreds of doctors, nurses and rescue personnel were deployed at the scene. According to Director General of Odisha Fire Rescue Services, 288 have died .
A day of mourning has been announced in the state.
