Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said a high-level committee will investigate the Odisha train tragedy that left 233 people dead and 900 injured. He added that the entire focus is on rescue for now.
The train crash in Odisha on Friday, involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train in which at least 233 people were killed and more than 900 injured, is one of the deadliest such accidents since independence, data shows.
Here is a look at the deadliest train crashes in Indian history:
*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.
*On August 20, 1995, the Purushottam Express collided with the stationary Kalindi Express near Firozabad. The official death count was around 305.
*On 26 November 1998, the Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express collided with three derailed coaches of the Frontier Golden Temple Mail in Khanna in Punjab, killing 212 people.
*August 2, 1999: The Gaisal train disaster occurred when the Brahmaputra Mail crashed into the stationary Avadh Assam Express at Gaisal station in North Frontier Railway's Katihar division, killing more than 285 people and injuring over 300. Many of the victims were Army, BSF or CRPF personnel.
*November 20, 2016: The Pukhrayan train derailment occurred when 14 coaches of the Indore-Rajendra Nagar Express derailed at Pukhrayan, approximately 60 km from Kanpur, killing 152 people and injuring 260.
*September 9, 2002: The Rafiganj train wreck occurred when the Howrah Rajdhani Express derailed over a bridge on the Dhave river in Rafiganj, killing more than 140 people. Terrorist sabotage was blamed for the incident.
*December 23, 1964: The Pamban-Dhanuskodi passenger train was washed away by the Rameswaram cyclone, killing over 126 passengers on board.
*May 28, 2010: The Jnaneswari Express train derailment - The Mumbai-bound train had derailed near Jhargram and was then hit by an oncoming goods train, leading to the death of 148 passengers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
At least 207 people were killed and 900 others injured when a passenger train hit the derailed coaches of another train in Odisha's Balasore this evening, said Chief Secretary PK Jena.
In a tweet, PK Jena wrote, "Death toll in the train accident increasing. Latest report from @SRC_Odisha from the accident site puts the figure at 207. No of Injured has been about 900."
In an unusual instance, a 57-year-old man from the United States has revealed that he lost 58.5 pounds (roughly 26.5 kg) by eating only McDonald's food for 100 days straight, as per a report by Fox News. Kevin Maginnis claimed he ate McDonald's fries and burgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and went from 238 pounds (107.9 kg) to 179.5 (81 kg) pounds by sticking to his diet.
He also said that drinking water instead of soda and just eating half of the food served at each meal were two of his secrets. "Three meals a day, every day, for the last 100 days, nothing but McDonald's," he told the outlet.
Mr Maginnis said that he used to order two burritos, a hash brown or a muffin in the morning. He then saved the remaining food for lunch and just has one burrito along with half of a hash brown or a muffin for breakfast. When he ordered a Big Mac supper, he would consume just half of the burger, fries and apple pie, storing the other half for breakfast the next day.
The 57-year-old also gained control over his blood pressure and cholesterol ever since he started following the bizarre diet, as per the outlet. He noticed that his cholesterol had decreased by 65 points and claimed that his blood pressure was "one of a teenager."
The frequent customer of the fast-food chain also stated that "there are McDonald's locations that know me."
His wife, who was left surprised by his diet results, decided to join Mr Maginnis on the 40th day of his diet. After roughly 65 days into the diet, the woman too dropped 18 pounds (8 kg), as per Fox News report.
According to NBC News, Mr Maginnis did not consume alcohol or munch on snacks during the 100-day period. "Because I was eating so small, I was always hungry by the time the next meal rolled around," Mr Maginnis said, urging people to focus on portion size.
He added, "Are there better micronutrients or macronutrients for brain health? Absolutely. But when it comes to getting rid of obesity, reduce the size of the meals."
British author Salman Rushdie has said that he is writing a book about the knife attack that took place on him last year in New York, as per a report in The Guardian. In a pre-recorded Zoom appearance at the Hay Literary Festival, he said, "I'm trying to write a book about the attack on me - what happened and what it means, not just about the attack, but around it."
The award-winning author added, "It will be a relatively short book, a couple of hundred pages. It's not the easiest book in the world to write but it's something I need to get past in order to do anything else. I can't really start writing a novel that's got nothing to do with this ... So I just have to deal with it."
Mr Rushdie also told the audience that he was in good health, mentioning that he was "doing OK". He also expressed his appreciation for the response to his most recent work, 'Victory City', which he had completed before the stabbing incident. "I never take anything for granted. Most people seem to like the book and that means a lot," he continued.
On August 12, 2022, the novelist was giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York when a man reached the stage and stabbed and punched him several times. He lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand following the "brutal" attack and spent approximately two months in the hospital.
Mr Rushdie's attacker Hadi Matar is being held without bail in the Chautauqua County Jail in the village of Mayville. He has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and could face a lengthy prison sentence after the trial is over.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the major train accident in Odisha in which at least 400 people are injured and 30 have died.
The Prime Minister spoke to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and is taking stock of the situation and said all possible assistance is being given to the affected.
Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 2, 2023
Coromandel Express, which was going from Kolkata to Chennai, rammed into the derailed coaches of the other train, which was going from Bengaluru to Kolkata, Railway Ministry spokesperson Amitabh Sharma told NDTV.
The details of the two trains are 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and 12864 Yashwantpur-Howrah Superfast Express.
President Droupadi Murmu said she's "Deeply anguished to know about the loss of lives in an unfortunate rail accident in Balasore, Odisha."
Deeply anguished to know about the loss of lives in an unfortunate rail accident in Balasore, Odisha. My heart goes out to the bereaved families. I pray for the success of rescue operations and quick recovery of the injured.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) June 2, 2023
Vice President Jagadeep Dhankhar also tweeted: "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in a train accident in Balasore, Odisha"
Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in a train accident in Balasore, Odisha. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
— Vice President of India (@VPIndia) June 2, 2023
Home Minister Amit Shah informed that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has reached the spot and will be joining the rescue operation.
The train accident at Balasore in Odisha is deeply agonizing. The NDRF team has already reached the accident site, and other teams are also rushing to join the rescue operation. My condolences to the bereaved families and praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 2, 2023
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said rescue teams from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata have been mobilised and the air force has been mobilised as well. The minister said he is rushing to the spot.
Rushing to the site in Odisha. My prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured and condolences to the bereaved families.
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 2, 2023
Rescue teams mobilised from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. NDRF, State govt. teams and Airforce also mobilised.
Will take all hands required for the rescue ops.
Ex-gratia compensation to the victims of this unfortunate train accident in Odisha;
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 2, 2023
₹10 Lakh in case of death,
₹2 Lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.
Helpline numbers have been issued by the authorities and over a hundred National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been involved in the rescue operations.
Helpline numbers at Howrah - 033 - 26382217
Kharagpur Helpline 8972073925, 9332392339
Balasore Helpline - 8249591559, 7978418322
Shalimar Helpline - 9903370746
Several long-distance trains were cancelled following the horrific triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore district, in which 30 people died and at least 400 are injured, an official said.
A few trains were also diverted via the Tatanagar station, he said.
The 12837 Howrah-Puri Superfast Express, 12863 Howrah-Bengaluru Superfast Express, 12839 Howrah-Chennai Mail were cancelled, the official said.
He said that the 12895 Howrah-Puri Superfast Express, 20831 Howrah-Sambalpur Express and 02837 Santragachi-Puri Express were also cancelled for the day.
Several coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, travelling to Howrah, derailed near Bahanaga Bazar station and fell on the adjacent tracks, an official said.
"These derailed coaches collided with 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and its coaches capsized too," he said.
A goods train was also involved in the accident as the coaches of the Coromandel Express hit its wagons after getting derailed, the official said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
