BHUBANESWAR/KOLKATA (Reuters) – At least 50 people were killed and 350 injured when two passenger trains collided in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Friday, Indian media reported.
The Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, collided with another passenger train, the Howrah Superfast Express, railway officials said.
The Howrah Superfast Express derailed and became entangled with the Coromandel Express, South Eastern Railway authorities said in a statement. Media reports had earlier said that the crash was between the Coromandel Express and a goods train.
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There was no official confirmation yet on the number of dead in the disaster, which took place in Balasore district. Media reports said at least 50 people had died.
So far more than 350 injured passengers had been admitted to various hospitals, Odisha’s Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena told reporters.
Images from the scene showed rescuers climbing up the mangled wreck of one of the trains to find survivors.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said authorities’ priority was “removing the living to the hospitals, that’s our first concern, to look after the living”.
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Rescue operations were underway at the site and “all possible assistance” is being given to those affected, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
Rescue teams have been mobilised from Odisha’s Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in West Bengal, Federal Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a tweet.
The National Disaster Response Force, state government teams and the air force had also mobilised to respond to the incident, he added.
