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Deadly crash involving 3 trains in India on Friday night. A total of 80 people died and 850 others were injured. Photo/Twitter via NDTV
NEW DELHI – At least 80 people were killed and hundreds more injured deadly accident which involves three train in eastern India on a Friday night. Two passenger trains derailed, one of which then hit a freight train.
This accident occurred in Balasore district, Odisha state. Pradeep Jena, the state’s top official, said 850 injured people had been taken to hospital.
A massive search and rescue operation, involving hundreds of firefighters, police, doctors and sniffer dogs, is expected to last through the night and there are still fears the death toll will rise.
“This is a tragic accident involving three trains, two passenger trains and one freight train,” Jena said, as quoted by Al Jazeera, Saturday (3/6/2023).
Rescue teams are looking for 200 passengers who are feared trapped. They cut through the debris to reach them.
Video footage shows dozens of people atop the overturned coach as rescuers use cutters and perform the delicate task of removing survivors from the carriage’s bent metal.
Jena said 500-600 rescue workers were at the scene, along with a team of 50 doctors, 200 ambulances and 30-40 buses to transport victims to other locations.
“The operation will continue all night. We hope that all rescue and relief operations will be completed before morning,” he told reporters, adding that cranes, light towers and hydraulic lifts were being used.
Indian Railways spokesman Amitabh Sharma said the cause of the accident was being investigated. The details of the crash are not yet clear, nor is the sequence of events.
