Odisha Tragedy: How The Three Trains Collided into Each Other

Houston: A series of disasterous events unfolded in Odisha’s Balasore last Friday evening when three trains got involved in one of India’s deadliest railway tragedies in history.

In the first few hours after the accident, there was some confusion about how the accident had occured exactly and which train got derailed first.

Initial reports after the accident suggested that only one train, the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, got derailed about 300 metres from the Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha. Later, reports suggested that it had rammed into the derailed coaches of another goods train, which caused the crash. Then it emerged that another train, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express (Yesvantpur Express), was also involved in the crash, making it a tripletrain collision.

Live updates: Odisha train tragedy

However, officials have given an exact sequence of the events that led to the deadly train crash, which killed over 270 people and injured nearly 800. According to officials, the Coromandel Express entered the wrong track and rammed into a goods train. Upon collision, some of its coaches tossed over to another track where they collided with the Yesvantpur Express.

Notably, the goods train did not get derailed since it was carry- ing iron ores and had maximum damage on Coromandel Express, Jaya Varma Sinha, member of operation and business development, Railway Board said Here’s an exact sequence of events that led to the triple-train crash ...

* At 6.58 pm, the Chennaibound Coromandel Express mistakenly entered the loopline instead of continuing on the mainline towards Chennai.

* Officials said that this was likely due to human error in signalling as Coromandel Express

In a devastating train accident in Odisha, India, over 275 people lost their lives, and more than 1,100 were injured. This mishap has caused immense grief. Families that lost their loved ones in the accident and the survivors are facing serious trauma. It may take years for them to get back to their everyday lives. Having provided relief to people in many disasters, natural and human-made, Sewa International understands their pain. We are planning their rehabilitation and preparing a series of supportive actions.

Volunteers from Sewa's partner organizations in India have participated in rescue operations near Balasore, Odisha, where the accident happened. They assisted government authorities in rescuing people and removing bodies with utmost respect and care. They have already organized a blood donation camp to help the injured, where many volunteers and local people donated blood. They have also been distributing food and other essentials to the affected people.

To help us expand the relief work, please support us by donating to Sewa. Your generosity can help assuage grief and help people overcome this tragedy.

Your support will contribute to the following:

Immediate relief: providing essential supplies like food, clean water, clothing, and temporary shelter to meet their urgent needs.

Supporting families: assisting families in coping with physical, emotional, and financial challenges, and aiding in their rebuilding process.

Education for children: offering stability and hope to children who lost their parents or guardians by supporting their education.

Long-term support for the wounded: ensuring that survivors receive ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, and recovery support.

Sewa Bharti, India, is actively supporting the victims through various initiatives: wasn’t supposed to stop. Hence, it was travelling at a full speed of 128km/hour.

Volunteers are actively participating in rescue operations.

They are recovering and handing over the dead bodies with care and respect.

Have organized blood donation drives to support the injured victims.

Are aiding the injured passengers in the train accident. Together, we can make a meaningful difference.

Please share this appeal widely and join Sewa in comforting the affected.

* The Coromandel Express then crashed into a stationary freight train that was on the loopline at the Bahanaga Bazar station.

* The impact caused the engine of the Coromandel Express train to mount on top of the freight train, causing the derailment of its 22 compartments. However, the goods train didn’t get derailed.

* Following the first derailment, three coaches of the Coro- mandal Express veered off onto a parallel line and collided with the rear two coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah train which was coming through from the opposite side at a speed of 126km/ hour.

* The Bengaluru-Howrah train had almost crossed the Coromandel. Unfortunately, the last two coaches were still crossing the parallel track when the derailed coaches of the Coromandel Express rammed into them.

* The five coaches — three from the Coromandel Express and two from the BengaluruHowrah Express — that collided into each other were among the worst hit and saw the maximum casualties.

* There were about 1,257 reserved passengers onboard Coromandel Express and 1,039 reserved passengers onboard the Bengaluru-Howrah train.

India’s Central Bureau of Investigations has taken over the investigatin of the train accident, including the possibility of human error in signalling.

-- Times of India