Balasore (Odisha): The rescue work following the tragic train mishap, that occurred in the Balasore district of Odisha on Friday, has been completed and restoration work has begun, a senior Railway Ministry official said on Saturday. The triple train mishap, involving the Coromandel Express, has claimed the lives of 238 passengers.
"The rescue operation has been completed, and now we are starting the restoration work. 238 people have died," Railways spokesperson Amitabh Sharma told ANI. According to Sharma, till now 100 people have claimed ex-gratia payments and counters for the same have been set up at three places - Balasore, Soro and Bahanaga Bazar. Sharma also informed that in the wake of the tragedy several trains were either cancelled or diverted.
Sharma added that as of now 48 trains were cancelled, 39 diverted and 10 short-terminated. 12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express derailed on Friday evening at around 7 PM, causing major damage. Over four coaches of the Yeshwanthpur-Howrah Express also derailed under the impact of the collision.
Meanwhile, according to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the train accident spot in Odisha's Balasore district today. Earlier, the PM convened a high-level meeting in the national capital to review the situation following the gruesome train accident that left hundreds dead and several others injured. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who visited the accident spot, has ordered a high-level inquiry into the accident. He has also said that the rail safety commissioner will also do an independent inquiry.
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