NEW DELHI, India – One of the worst railway accidents in India‘s history unfolded Friday, June 3, 2023 night in Odisha state, as a three-train pileup left at least 288 dead and injured about 1,000, according to preliminary reports.
Indian authorities concluded their search for survivors on Saturday, marking the end of a grim rescue operation and the beginning of what promises to be an extensive investigation into the tragedy.
Sudhanshu Sarangi, Odisha’s fire and emergency services director, called the collision between high-speed trains “a major, major tragedy.”
Over 300 rescue workers struggled to navigate the wreckage and extract survivors from the twisted steel.
“Psychologically, we were not prepared to see so many dead bodies,” Sarangi admitted.
The catastrophe commenced around 7 p.m. local time when the Coromandel Express derailed near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, crashing into a freight train before being hit by the Superfast Express.
Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, a South Eastern Railway zone spokesman, confirmed that 17 passenger compartments had derailed in the multi-train collision.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos and desperation as locals scrambled to pull survivors from the wreckage.
D. Jagatdeo, a medical officer at Balasore District Hospital, shared that over 1,000 people were treated at the facility, with 55 succumbing to their injuries there. “This is the first time we have received so many patients,” he said, reflecting the severity of the disaster.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, critics have questioned India’s focus on railway modernization, suggesting that efforts should prioritize improving existing infrastructure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged a rigorous investigation into the crash, promising that “whoever is found guilty will not be spared.”
Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Railways Minister, announced compensation for victims and their families, a move unlikely to quell calls for his resignation from regional and opposition politicians.
As the Odisha state government declared a day of mourning, survivors shared their harrowing experiences.
Sachin Gupta, a group commander with the Indian Air Force and a passenger on the Coromandel Express, recalled bodies scattered across the train tracks, and survivors trapped within the wreckage crying out for help. “It was a disastrous situation. Everyone was asking for help,” he said.
Anshuman Purohit, an advertising executive from Singapore, said, “I realized how disastrous it was when I walked down the road and saw what had become of the other compartments.” Having survived the accident, Purohit called it a “miracle.”
International responses to the disaster have been swift and sympathetic, with leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly expressing their condolences.
As India grapples with the scale of the disaster, questions about the country’s rail safety loom large. With one of the world’s largest railway networks, the tragedy has highlighted the urgent need for systemic improvements to ensure the safety of the millions of passengers who rely on India’s trains every day.
