Odisha train mishap: Tale of two 'Black Fridays' of Coromandel Express

On February 13, 2009, a Friday, 16 passengers were killed and 161 hurt when 13 bogies of Coromandel Express derailed in the Jajpur district of Odisha.

Balasore (Odisha):Odisha witnessed another train tragedy involving the Coromandel Express once again on a Friday night after 14 years. The heart-wrenching train mishap in Odisha's Balasore district involving the Coromandel Express, which claimed the lives of 238 passengers and injured 900, happened on June 2, 2023, a Friday. The horrific accident brought back memories of another mishap, involving the same train, that took place in 2009. Coincidentally, the mishap in 2009 also occurred on a Friday night. Hence, Odisha has now witnessed two 'Black Fridays'.

On February 13, 2009, which was a Friday, at least 16 passengers were killed and 161 others sustained grievous injuries when 13 bogies of the Coromandel Express derailed while changing tracks in Jajpur district in Odisha in the night. The Coromandel Express connects Chennai Central in Tamil Nadu to Howrah in West Bengal. In 2009, of the 13 bogies, which derailed, 11 were sleeper class and two were of general class.

The accident occurred when the train was running at a high speed and derailed just after it crossed the Jajpur Road railway station and was changing tracks. While the train's engine went onto another track, the bogies derailed and got delinked from the train. The tragedy in 2009 was so gruesome that one of the 13 bogies that derailed had mounted onto the other. This tragedy had taken place between 7.30 PM and 7.40 PM.

Meanwhile, on Saturday Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took stock of the situation at the accident spot in Odisha's Balasore where three trains collided. He has said that a detailed high-level inquiry was ordered into the accident, but the focus was rescue and relief operations.