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PM Modi arrives at train accident site in Odisha's Balasore
PM Modi has called a high-level meeting with the railway officials to review the situation of the Odisha train accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reached the site of the horrific train accident in Odisha's Balasore in which at least 261 people lost their lives, and around 1,000 got injured, many of the severely. After taking stock of the station at the crash site, Modi will go to the hospital in Cuttack where the victims are undergoing treatment.
The prime minister was earlier scheduled to flag off Goa's first Vande Bharat Express train today. After the tragedy in Odisha, the Vande Bharat event was cancelled. PM Modi called a high-level meeting of the senior railway officials to take stock of the situation in Odisha.
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Odisha train accident site: Rescue operation completed
About 16 hours after the accident, which involved two Express trains and a goods train, the rescue operation was announced to be complete on Saturday. The official toll was announced to be 280. Around 900 passengers were taken to hospitals with small to severe injuries.
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The rescuers had a tough time during the overnight work as three trains piled on each other with a high chance that passengers were trapped deep under. Rescuers had to cut through the rail cars to ensure no one was trapped alive. By 10pm, all survivors were rescued and after that it was only about picking up the bodies and the limbs.
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The accident site is about 222 kilometres southwest of Kolkata.
The mangled remains of the trains completely destroyed in the huge impact of the consecutive crashes remained on the track on Saturday morning. The tracks were also damaged.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced an additional ex gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the PM's National Relief Fund.
"Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given to those affected," PM Modi tweeted.
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After visiting the accident site at Balasore, PM Modi will visit the Cuttack Hospital where hundreds of victims are admitted.
Balasore Medical College and Hospital, nearest to the accident site, shelved the maximum load of patients. The hospital looked like a war zone on Friday night with an endless entry of injured passengers and bodies. Policemen and locals volunteered to donate blood to help the injured.
