At least 288 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,000 injured in an accident involving three trains in the city of Balasore, in eastern Odisha state, on Friday.
Indian officials described the tragic incident which occurred around 7pm on Friday as India’s worst rail accident in over two decades.
India’s president, Droupadi Murmu shared a tweet saying “Deeply anguished to know about the loss of lives in an unfortunate rail accident in Balasore, Odisha. My heart goes out to the bereaved families. I pray for the success of rescue operations and quick recovery of the injured”.
Pradeep Jena, the chief secretary in the state of Odisha said 24 Fire Service Units, local police and volunteers are working tirelessly in search and rescue.
India, a nation of 1.4 billion, transports 13 million passengers every day, and 8 billion annually.
