Death toll in India train crash rises to at least 288
Accident site near Balasore in eastern India
© AFP
Overturned wagons, mountains of debris, numerous bodies under white sheets next to the tracks: on the day after one of the worst train accidents in recent Indian history, a picture of the gigantic destruction emerged at the accident site near the city of Balasore. According to the authorities’ preliminary balance sheet on Saturday, at least 288 people died and around 900 others were injured. After the rescue workers had searched for the injured and dead for hours, the operation was declared over.
“All of the injured and bodies were removed from the scene of the accident,” said a coordinator of the rescue operation. The train wreck was one of the hardest in more than 20 years. The death toll could still rise, said the head of the fire brigade, Sudhanshu Sarangi, who was deployed at the scene of the accident, to the AFP news agency. “Many people who were taken to the hospital succumb to their injuries there.”
On Friday were at Balasore in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, two passenger trains collided with a freight train that was standing on the tracks. Anubhav Dav was sitting in the last carriage of one of the trains when he heard “terrifying screeching noises”. The 27-year-old told AFP that his car remained upright and he was able to jump out unharmed. He saw numerous “bloody scenes”. “When I left the scene of the accident, I could no longer count the bodies.”
Indian Prime Minister Naredra Modi flew to the scene of the accident in a helicopter on Saturday. He wanted to visit the injured in the hospital. His thoughts are with the families of the victims, Modi wrote online Twitter.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) expressed his condolences. “My thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. Germany stands by my side indians at this difficult time,” said Scholz on Twitter.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condoled his Indian counterpart Draupadi Murmu. “In the face of this catastrophe, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to you, Madam President, and to the people of India, also on behalf of my compatriots. Our thoughts are with the victims and the missing people and their families,” he said.
The Vatican said Pope Francis was praying “for the many injured and the efforts of the rescue workers.” The Catholic Church leader was “deeply affected”.
India has one of the world‘s longest rail networks. There have always been serious railway accidents in the past. In 1981, between 800 and 1,000 people died when a train derailed on a bridge and plunged into a river in Bihar. However, safety on the rails has improved significantly in recent years thanks to massive investments and new technologies.