Hundreds killed in India’s worst train disaster in decades

Global Courant

STORY: On broad daylight Saturday, the carnage of what is considered India’s worst train disaster in at least two decades is now plain to see, with hundreds dead, hundreds injured and three trains.

Body bags line the railroad and the death toll is expected to continue to rise.

Rescuers worked through the night deploying hundreds of ambulances and doctors in the town of Balasore, Odisha state.

Local residents are also helping. Ganesha is one of them. He says he was at a market on Friday night when he heard a loud bang. Seeing that the trains had collided, he hurried to get as many people out as possible.

In a hospital, hundreds of people line up to donate blood. This volunteer, named Samarandan Das, says there is no greater joy than helping save someone’s life with a donation.

The incident happened at about 7pm Friday when a passenger train, the Howrah Superfast Express, derailed and hit another, the Coromandel Express. One of them then hit a freight train parked nearby.

It is not immediately clear what caused the incident, but the country’s railway minister who visited the site says the immediate focus remains on rescue efforts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also visiting.

The state of Odisha has declared a day of mourning.

Hundreds killed in India’s worst train disaster in decades

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