No fewer that 288 people have been confirmed dead and over 1000 others injured in a tragic accident involving three trains in the city of Balasore, in eastern Odisha state, India.
Indian officials described the tragic incident which occurred around 7pm on Friday as India’s worst rail accident in over 20 years.
in a tweet, India’s president, Droupadi Murmu expressed sadness over the incident.
“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,” the president tweeted.
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 by train daily, and 8 billion annually.
