Odisha Train Accident: Northeast Frontier Railway Cancels 5 Trains From Assam; Details Inside

NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer said that in view of the accident that happened on Friday in Odisha's Balasore, five trains have been cancelled.

New Delhi: In view of the tragic train accident that took place in Odisha’s Balasore on Friday, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has cancelled a total of five trains originating from Assam.

Sabyasachi De, the NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer said that in view of the accident that happened on Friday in Odisha’s Balasore, five trains have been cancelled.

The cancelled trains are — Guwahati-SMVT Bengaluru; Kamakhya-SMVT Bengaluru; Rangapara North-Erode Junction; Dibrugarh-Kanniyakumari Vivek Express, and Kamakhya-Lokmanya Tilak terminus Karmabhoomi Express.

The cancelled trains are scheduled to start from various points in Assam between June 3 to 7.

Meanwhile, the latest reports from the accident site say that more than 280 people have lost their lives and around 900 are injured in the crash involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train on Friday.

The train crash, the fourth deadliest in India according to available records, happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday. In terms of the number of lives lost, the Coromandel Express Accident is as deadly as Gaisal (1999) and Jnaneswari (2010), both in West Bengal.

On Saturday, the Indian Railways said the death toll from the accident has climbed to 288. “As of 2 PM today, the death toll in the Odisha train crash has risen to 288 while 747 people have been injured along with 56 grievously injured,” Indian Railways said in a statement.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that a signal was given to Coromandel Express to enter the main line but it was taken off and the train entered the loop line, where it crashed into a goods train parked there.

Seventeen coaches were derailed and were severely damaged in the accident, trapping hundreds of passengers. Both passenger trains were at a high speed and it has been cited by experts as one of the main reasons for the high number of casualties.

The Indian Railways have announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

PM Narendra Modi has announced an additional ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Other states too have announced assistance.