India rail accident death toll exceeds 280, injured at 900

Nabil Anas

Global Courant

Rescuers waded through piles of rubble and wreckage on Saturday to extricate bodies and free people after two passenger trains derailed in India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds as railcars were flipped and maimed in one of India’s deadliest rail accidents. country in India. decades.

The accident, which occurred about 140 miles southwest of Kolkata on Friday night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break doors and windows open with torches to free survivors.

About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said PK Jena, the state’s chief administrative officer. The cause was investigated.

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Ten to 12 carriages from one train derailed and debris from some of the mutilated carriages fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a spokesman for the railway ministry. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, which also derailed three carriages of the second train, he added.

Indian Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw arrives at the scene of the accident on Saturday. (AFP/Getty Images)

A third train carrying freight was also involved, the Press Trust of India reported, but there was no immediate confirmation from railway authorities. PTI said some of the derailed passenger cars hit freight train cars.

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