In this post, we will talk about the recent train tragedy in Odisha. Three trains collided on 2nd June 2023 in the Balasore district in Odisha in the eastern part of India.
Incidentally, the MGR Chennai Central Coromandel Express ended up entering the passing loop rather than the main line at a top speed close to Bahanaga Bazar railway station and crashed with a goods train. 21 compartments of the Coromandel Express derailed because of high speed and three compartments ended up colliding with the approaching SMVT Bengaluru Howrah SF Express on the other track.
This particular accident is the most lethal railway crash in India since the Firozabad rail disaster that happened in the year 1995. As many as 288 individuals died in this crash and approximately 1,170 sustained injuries. This crash is also the most lethal mishap on the planet since the Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck that took place in the year 2004.
A bit more about the crash
The Coromandel Express was coming from Shalimar railway station in West Bengal on 2nd June this year and it was traveling to Chennai on the up main line in the state of Orissa at the Bahanaga Bazar railway station. The Bengaluru Howrah SF Express was also traveling in the other direction at approximately the same time from Bangalore to Howrah in West Bengal on the down main line. Incidentally, both these trains were traveling at their highest speed since they were not scheduled to halt at the railway station and they also received the green signal which indicated to them that there was no problem moving forward along the main line.
The Coromandel Express was due to continue forward on the up main line at approximately 7 PM IST, but it was switched incorrectly to the parallel up loop line while it was at top speed. There the Coromandel Express crashed with a goods train that was waiting there full of iron ore. As many as 21 compartments of the Coromandel Express derailed from the main line due to the high impact speed. However, the goods train didn’t move or derail.
Three derailed compartments on the Coromandel Express tilted violently into the adjacent railway track and were able to whiplash the tail of the Bengaluru Howrah Express which was crossing the station simultaneously. As a matter of fact, the brake van and a couple of unreserved compartments of the Bengaluru Howrah Express derailed. The rest of the train including the locomotive and 20 compartments left along with its passengers on the way to Balasore and another damaged compartment had been detached. The rest of the 19 coaches continued the journey to Howrah, the final destination of the train. According to the latest reports, no passenger in the reserved compartments of this train suffered any injuries or death. As per the officials, it would take time to ascertain the identity of the commuters in the unreserved compartments.
Emergency response
The reservation charts were published by the Indian Railways of the two passenger trains on its official website. The governments of West Bengal, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu and the railways of the three states likewise published helpline numbers. Pradeep Jena, the Chief Secretary of Odisha, said that as many as 4 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force units, 3 National Disaster Response Force units, 100 physicians, in excess of 15 fire rescue teams, 200 ambulances, and 200 police personnel had been mobilized for the rescue operations. It had been reported that as many as 4 other National Disaster Response Force teams arrived at the site of the crash as well. Local people provided water for the passengers and also assisted them in achieving their belongings wherever possible. Local bus companies also helped in transporting those passengers who sustained injuries.
The West Bengal government sent as many as 30 ambulances for providing help with the recovery and rescue of the injured passengers. Apart from this, they also sent 40 physicians plus several nursing staff. The Tamil Nadu government dispatched a top-level delegation consisting of three IAS officers and two state ministers in the state of Orissa for helping the passengers going to Chennai and monitor the entire situation. Apart from this, it organized a treatment facility at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai with 70 beds.
Conclusion
Further investigation is going on to find out more about this particular mishap that we have discussed in this article. We simply hope that the same mistake does not have been once again in the future that can take so many lives all of a sudden.
