5 big updates on one of India’s worst train crashes

New Delhi:

At least 238 people were killed and more than 900 injured when four coaches of the Coromandel Express derailed in Balasore district of Odisha on Friday night, after which it collided head-on with a freight train coming from the opposite direction on the other line. A third freight train was also involved in the crash, Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena told NDTV.

The train crash is one of the deadliest accidents since independence, according to the data.

Here is what we know so far about the Odisha train crash:

1. Coromandel Express, which was traveling from Kolkata to Chennai, rammed into the derailed carriages of the other train, which was traveling from Bengaluru to Kolkata.
2. People in a single bogie have not yet been rescued, which is badly mangled.
3. Train tracks were nearly destroyed on the spot as mangled coaches lay everywhere, some riding on top of another, while a few bogies turned into turtles from the impact.
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his distress over the accident and announced additional compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
5. Government of Odisha has launched helpline 06782-262286. The rail helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044-25330952 (Chennai).