BAHANAGA: The death toll in the train crash near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district mounted to 288 on Saturday as rescue teams recovered more bodies that were trapped inside the ill-fated trains.
The Indian army has also been pressed into service as several passengers are still feared trapped. The casualty may rise up further.
Tragedy struck as Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express rammed into a stationary goods train nearly 100 metres before Bahanaga station, about 180 km from Bhubaneswar, and jumped off the track. While at least 12 coaches of the train capsized, its engine went up and landed on the goods train in the impact of the collision.
Railway sources said the tragic accident, one of the deadliest train mishaps after 1990, involved three trains as two general bogies of Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru - Howrah Daily Superfast Express, which was coming in the opposite direction got derailed after some of the capsized coaches of Coromandel Express collided with them.
But it is still unclear how the accident happened and why the Coromandel Express rammed into the goods train.
“The goods train was in a stationary position on the loop line and the signal was given for movement of the train on the Up line. But we are still unable to understand how the Coromandel Express that was supposed to pass through the Up line (main line) came on the loop line and hit the goods train,” said a railway official posted at Bahanaga station on the condition of anonymity.
Railway board chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, who visited the spot, said commissioner railway safety of South East Circle AM Chowdhary has been tasked to inquire into the whole incident and find out the exact reason behind the horrific accident. “No one will be spared. Let the preliminary inquiry get over,” he said.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also visited the spot and inspected the capsized coaches. He interacted with some of the injured and rescued passengers.
“A high-level probe has been ordered. We will go to the root of the cause. We are now focusing on the rescue operation as a priority. Men and machinery have been mobilized from different places to rescue the trapped passengers and get them treated at the earliest,” he said.
Rabi Ranjan Singh, an engineer from Howrah recalled the horrific moments, "I heard a huge shudder and a sharp jerk accompanied by a screeching sound when we were discussing some family matters. Before I could realize what happened, people in our B1 air-conditioning coach fell one after another. The next thing I knew I was on the floor of the compartment. Luggage was strewn around and some of my co-passengers were shouting."
“By the time we found our feet and looked out the window of the coach, what we saw was terrific. Barring the B1 and B2 AC coaches, the rest AC coaches had jumped off the tracks. We were lucky that the derailment did not cause any major injuries to our nine-member family on board Coromandel Express. The impact on the coaches from the engine was severe,” he said.
Singh's family has taken shelter at a nearby building and is planning to go back to Howrah.
The Odisha government issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).