Coromandel Express accident: How 3 trains derailed, crashed at same place in Odisha
Coromandel on the up line derailed and hit the derailed coaches of Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast on the downline. The two derailments took place within 5 minutes.
In a massive train crash on Friday involving three trains, including Coromandel Express, at least 233 people were killed and about 900 injured in Odisha prompting immediate rescue action which continued on Saturday morning too. The toll could go up as bodies were still being recovered while the Odisha government ordered a state mourning on Saturday cancelling all events. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee may visit Odisha on Saturday.
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The tragic death figure indicates how massive the crash has been though it was not immediately clear how the Coromandel Express accident took place. Late at night, the Odisha government clarified that three trains derailed and crashed at the same spot -- leading to the major mishap.
Read | ‘Loud shrieks, blood all over’: Eyewitnesses recount horror of Odisha train tragedy
How three trains derailed and crashed
Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was on its way to Howrah when several coaches derailed and fell on the adjacent tracks.
Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, on its way to Chennai, collided with the derailed coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express.
The derailed coaches of the Coromandel Express then hit the wagons of a goods train.
These three accidents took place near the Bahanga Baazar station in the Balasore district, 250km south of Kolkata and 170km north of Bhubaneswar.
Read | List of trains cancelled, diverted after Coromandel Express mishap in Odisha
Different versions of which train derailed first and hit the other came up as all three crashes took place in a short span of time. Officials said Bengaluru-Howrah superfast which was on the down line derailed at 6.55pm, and Coromandel on the up line derailed at 7pm.
The goods train was parked on the track when it was hit.
'Not to exaggerate...witnessed more than 200-250 deaths': A Twitter thread
As eye-witnesses recounted the horror, Anubhav Das, a Twitter user, who claimed to be a passenger of the fateful Coromandel Express, put out a Twitter thread. "As a passenger on the Coromandel Express from Howrah to Chennai, I am extremely thankful to have escaped unscathed. It probably is the biggest train accident related incident...Not to exaggerate but I have myself witnessed more than 200-250 deaths. Families crushed away, limbless bodies and a bloodbath on the train tracks. It was a sight that I will never forget. God help the families. My condolences," Das tweeted.
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