In a tragic incident near Bahanaga village in Odisha’s Balasore district, two packed express trains collided, creating a scene of chaos and despair.
Eyewitnesses are haunted by the horror they witnessed during the devastating collision. Visuals from the accident site showed 15 coaches of the Coromandel Express lying on their side, while distressed passengers cried out for help.
Ashok Samal, a small-time shopkeeper, was winding down his day near the railway track when a deafening crash shattered the peaceful evening.
Rushing towards the site, he encountered a harrowing sight—a jumble of mangled coaches stacked upon one another, the result of a horrific accident involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express.
Eyewitnesses like Samal recall the chilling moments of loud shrieks and blood-stained surroundings. Trapped passengers in the overturned coaches pleaded for assistance, with several bodies still trapped under the wreckage.
Also Read: Over 230 People Dead, 900 Injured in Three-Train Accident in Odisha
The collision, occurring around 7 pm, has left an estimated 100 people feared dead and nearly 300 injured.
Gobinda Mondal, who was in the first coach of the derailed Coromandel Express, described the sudden crash and the subsequent skidding of the coach for a considerable distance.
Amidst the commotion, Mondal witnessed a broken window adjacent to his seat, and with help from someone, they managed to escape. Local residents and first responders, such as Samal, played a crucial role in rescuing passengers from the damaged coaches.
The ill-fated Coromandel Express was carrying several migrant laborers from Bengal to the southern states. Families of these laborers contacted local police stations in neighboring districts, anxiously seeking information about their loved ones.
As the identification process would take time, authorities assured them that the situation was being closely monitored. Meanwhile, rescue operations are swiftly initiated by teams from the state and national disaster relief forces, along with 50 fire services teams, in an effort to provide support and assistance to the victims and their families.
