The death toll in the train disaster in India, which occurred when a freight train and a passenger train collided near Bahanaga station, which includes a third convoy, has risen to at least 288. In addition to the confirmed victims, there are more than 900 injured, which has put hospitals in the country to a stalemate. Residents of Balasore, India’s closest city to the train crash site, stayed awake overnight as at least 120 ambulances rushed to transport the injured to the three nearest hospitals.
According to local media, in small and poorly equipped hospitals, doctors and nurses worked tirelessly in utter chaos to deal with the disaster. Hundreds of people, responding to calls spread over the media and the internet, spent the night in queues to donate blood in mobile units set up in front of hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways announced that it will contribute one million rupees (approximately 11,000 euros) to the families of the victims and 200,000 rupees (approximately 2,200 euros) for the most seriously injured. What happened in the state of Odisha is the worst train disaster in the country in the last 20 years.
India’s railways – despite transporting 13 million people every day – are extremely unsafe due to aging infrastructure. Howeah Superfast Express traveling from Bangalore to Howrah reportedly collided head-on with Coromandel Express traveling from Kolkata to Chennai.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
