New Delhi: Chairperson, Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi expressed grief over the horrific triple train accident in Balasore district in Odisha in which nearly 300 people died while 900 others were injured. In a statement issued on Saturday, the former Congress President said that she was most pained and anguished by the terrible train disaster in Odisha.
The Congress leader extended her deepest sympathy and condolences to all the bereaved families. The death toll in the tragic accident has mounted to 261, the South Central Railway (SCR) said on Saturday. The horrific accident occurred near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, around 7 pm on Friday, officials said.
Also read:Kerala CM expresses sorrow over loss of lives in Odisha train tragedy
The accident spot is about 250 km south of West Bengal capital Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. While the actual cause of the accident is not known yet, officials said that several coaches of the Howrah-bound 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express derailed and fell on adjacent tracks. The derailed coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express collided with the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express causing its derailment.
The coaches of the Coromandel Express in turn fell on the goods train which was passing through another track in the same section leading to a triple train accident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the mishap. PM Modi who held a high level meeting in Delhi over the incident, is expected to visit Odisha today.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that his ministry will thoroughly investigate the accident and “ensure such incidents don't happen in future”.
