Odisha train accident: Death toll rises to 289

The deceased, Bijay Paswan from Motihar district of Bihar, had boarded the Coromandel Express along with six others on June 2 from Howrah to Palakkad in Kerala

Updated on: Jun 13, 2023, 15:16:57 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The death toll in the tragic Odisha train accident involving two passenger trains and a goods train rose to 289 with a 35-year-old labourer from Bihar succumbing to his injuries on Tuesday.

At present, 118 more passengers are undergoing treatment. (PTI image)

Bijay Paswan from Motihar district of Bihar had boarded the Coromandel Express along with six others on June 2 from Howrah to Palakkad in Kerala.

Raja Patel, who was also part of the group, had died at the accident spot.

Paswan was initially admitted to the Balasore district headquarter hospital and then shifted to central ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack with cervical spine injury and quadriplegia.

Doctors at the SCB Medical College and Hospital said Paswan was initially admitted in orthopedics department but his condition gradually began to deteriorate.

Also Read: Odisha train accident: Shrieks, screams ensued as Coromandel Express crashed. Video

He was shifted to central ICU on June 7 with cardiorespiratory complications.

Since Tuesday morning, he was intubated with due medications and at around 7:30am, he had a sudden cardiac arrest and was declared dead around 9:50am,” said medical bulletin from the hospital.

Dipak Paswan, nephew of Bijay said his uncle sustained injuries on his neck in the incident.

“While I injured my chest, my uncle received multiple injuries on his body from neck to bottom. But he was able to communicate with others,” he said.

At present, 118 more passengers are undergoing treatment.

The accident, which claimed the lives of 289 passengers and left over 1,000 injured, involved Yeshwantpur-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and a goods train.

The Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train, resulting in the derailment of several coaches.

A few of the derailed coaches fell on another track and were hit by another passenger train, Howrah Express, which was coming from Yesvantpur.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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