Salman Khan, Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi, and many more express grief over Odisha train accident

Popular celebrities have expressed expressed grief after learning about the Odisha train accident in which at least 238 persons died and 900 were injured. The accident took place on Friday night.

Hyderabad: Condolences for the loss of lives poured in massive numbers from all around the world as India witnessed a tragic train accident on Friday night. Popular celebrities Salman Khan, Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR, Sonu Sood, Manoj Bajpayee, Vivek Agnihotri and Kirron Kher have expressed condolences over the Odisha train tragedy in which at least 238 persons died and 900 were injured.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan took to his Twitter handle and responded "Really saddened to hear abt the accident,May God rest the souls of the deceased in peace,Protect n give strength to the families n the injured from this unfortunate accident."

Reacting to the incident, Chiranjeevi stated, "Utterly shocked at the tragic Coromandel express accident in Orissa and the huge loss of lives! My heart goes out to the bereaved families. I understand there is an urgent demand for blood units to save lives. Appeal to all our fans and good samaritans in the nearby areas to extend all possible assistance for donating life-saving blood units."

Jr NTR stated, "Heartfelt condolences to the families and their loved ones affected by the tragic train accident. My thoughts are with each and every person affected by this devastating incident. May strength and support surround them during this difficult time."

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri took to his Twitter handle to react by saying "Tragic and very shameful. How can 3 trains be involved in this age and time? Who is answerable? Prayers for all the families. Om shanti."

Actor Sonu Sood also shared an image of the accident with a broken heart emoji on his Twitter handle.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee responded by writing "So so horrific! So Tragic!"

Taking to Twitter, actor-turned-politician Kirron Kher wrote, "Saddened to hear about the disastrous train accident at Balasore in Odisha. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured."

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has declared a day of mourning on Saturday in the wake of the train derailment. PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased in the train derailment. According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office, the ex-gratia amount will be allotted from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of the dead. (With agency inputs)