Odisha train accident: Over 200 people have died and around 900 were injured in the horrific train crash in Odisha, involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train. Two passenger trains and one good train collided with each other near Bahanaga railway station in Odisha's Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday. The derailment of 10 to 12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express caused them to fall onto the opposite track. The Yashwantpur-Howrah Superfast hit the derailed bogies of a few coaches of Coromandel Express, leading to the derailment of three to four of its own coaches. Many passengers were trapped in the overturned coaches of the superfast train. Rescue operations are underway.
The Friday train crash in Odisha is one of the deadliest such accidents since independence. It was on June 6, 1981, that India recorded its worst train accident which occurred in Bihar. A train fell into the river Bagmati while crossing a bridge, killing more than 750 people. Following this, on August 20, 1995, the Purushottam Express collided with the stationary Kalindi Express near Firozabad. The official death toll was around 305.
Tragedy strikes again after 14 years
After 14 years Coromandel Express met with an accident. Earlier, on February 13, 2009, at least 16 passengers were killed and 161 others sustained grievous injuries when 13 bogies of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express from Howrah derailed while changing tracks in Odisha’s Jajpur district.
Here are the major train accidents in India in recent years:
- 2002 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express: The Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express was derailed near Rafiganj station between Gaya and Dehri-on-Sone stations, with two coaches falling into a river. Around 140 people were killed in the accident.
- 2005 Valigonda train wreck: The Valigonda train wreck occurred when the Delta Fast Passenger train derailed. A flash flood swept away a small rail bridge, and a Delta Fast Passenger train traveling on it derailed at the broken section of the line, killing at least 114 people and injuring over 200.
- 2010 Jnaneswari Disaster: At least 170 passengers of the Mumbai-bound Jnaneswari Express train died after a few bogies got derailed between Khemashuli and Sardhia stations and toppled on the adjacent tracks. A goods train coming from the opposite direction within a few minutes ploughed through the bogies. More than 200 passengers were injured too.
- 2010 Sainthia Train Crash: The Uttar Banga Express and the Vananchal Express rammed into each other in Sainthia, West Bengal killing about 63 people and injuring over 165 people.
- 2016 Indore Patna Express train accident: On November 20, Indore–Patna Express 19321 derailed near Pukhrayan, Kanpur, India killing at least 150 people and injuring more than 150 others.
- 2017 Kaifiyat Express tragedy: On August 23, nine train coaches of the Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express derailed near Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, causing at least 70 injuries. On August 18, the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailed in Muzaffarnagar, killing 23 people and injuring nearly 60 others.
- 2022 Guwahati-Bikaner Express accident: On January 13, at least 12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express derailed in the West Bengal region of Alipurduar, leaving 9 persons dead and 36 others injured.
