At least 70 dead, more than 600 injured in India train collision
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At least 70 people were killed and more than 600 injured in a train collision in eastern India on Friday, according to officials and local media. Many people remain trapped inside train cars and under the wreckage. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine. ArrowRight A passenger train derailed in the state of Odisha around 7:20 p.m. local time, sending some cars careening onto the opposite track, where they were struck by another passenger train, according to local media reports. A nearby freight train also became ensnared in the pileup.
On June 2, a passenger train derailed in the eastern Indian state of Odisha — which sent some cars careening onto the opposite track (Video: The Washington Post)
“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter. “In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon.”
More than 700 disaster response, police and rescue personnel have been deployed to the crash, according to local media.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced shortly after the crash that victims would be compensated: about $12,000 to the families of those killed and $2,400 and $600 to people who had suffered “grievous” and “minor” injuries, respectively.
Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, the top administrator in Odisha’s Balasore district, confirmed that the death toll had passed 50, the Associated Press reported. The Press Trust of India, the country’s largest news agency, reported later that the figure had risen to 70.
About 600 injured passengers were sent to hospitals to be treated, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said in a video.
India boasts one of the world’s largest railway networks, behind the U.S., China and Russia, and the national railway is one of the world’s largest employers.
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Source: The Washington Post
