India train crash - live: Death toll rises to 233 as victims offered payment

At least 233 people are dead and hundreds are injured, after a passenger train in India derailed and collided with another locamotive in the eastern state of Odisha.

The Coromandel Express, which runs between Kolkata and Chennai, reportedly derailed and struck a goods train.

The crash in the Balasore district injured at least 900.

The Odisha government has ordered a state of mourning.

Key Points

• Breaking: Dozens dead and hundreds injured as train derails in India

• Compensation offered for victims of India train crash

• Number of injured rises to 400

Breaking: India train crash that killed at least 288 ‘likely caused by signal error’

17:05 , William Mata

A signal error is thought to be the cause of a train crash that has killed at least 288 people in India, it has been reported.

The passenger Coromandel Express rammed into a goods train in Balasore city in Odisha state on Friday causing between 10 and 12 carriages to derail. A third train was also involved in the aftermath.

See the whole story here.

FACTBOX - India’s deadliest rail accidents

16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Here are details of some of the deadliest rail accidents in recent decades in India, where a railway official said at least 288 people were killed in a train crash in eastern state of Odisha on Friday.

June 1981: At least 800 people are killed when seven rear coaches of an overcrowded passenger train are blown off the track and fall into a river during a cyclone.

July 1988: An express train leaves the rails and plunges into a monsoon-swollen lake near Quilon in southern India, killing at least 106 people.

August 1995 - At least 350 people are killed when two trains collide 200 km (125 miles) from Delhi.

August 1999 - Two trains collide near Calcutta, leading to the deaths of at least 285 people.

October 2005: Several coaches of a passenger train derail in southern Andhra Pradesh state, near Velugonda. At least 77 people are killed.

July 2011: Around 70 people are killed and over 300 injured when a mail train derails in Fatehpur.

November 2016: Some 146 people are killed and more than 200 injured when an express train derails in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

January 2017: At least 41 people are killed after several coaches of a passenger train go off the rails in southern Andhra Pradesh state.

October 2018: A commuter train runs through a crowd gathered on the tracks for a festival in northern India‘s Amritsar city, killing at least 59 people and injuring 57.

Experts say focus on safety has not kept pace with expansion

15:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Indian Railways maintains that safety has always been a key focus, and points to its low accident rate over the years.

“This question (on safety) is arising because there has been one incident now. But if you see the data, you will see that there have been no major accidents for years,” a railways ministry spokesperson said.

The number of accidents per million train kilometres, a gauge of safety, had fallen to 0.03 in fiscal 2021-22 from 0.10 in 2013-14, the spokesperson said.

A 1-trillion-rupee, five-year safety fund created in 2017-18 has been extended for another five years from 2022-23, with a further 450 billion rupees of funding, after the first plan led to an “overall improvement in safety indicators”, he added.

“Some malfunction has happened and that the inquiry will reveal,” he said, referring to Friday’s crash. “We will find out why it happened and how it happened.”

Srinand Jha, an independent transport expert and author at the International Railway Journal, said the railways have been working on safety mechanisms such as anti-collision devices and emergency warning systems but have been slow to install them across the network.

“They will always tell you that accidents are at a very manageable level because they talk about them in terms of percentages,” Jha said, adding that in recent years the focus has been more on new trains and modern stations and not as much on tracks, signalling systems and asset management.

“This accident brings out the need to focus more on these aspects,” he said.

Deadly train accident happens amid Modi’s modernisation of India’s railways

15:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The accident occurred at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focusing on the modernisation of the British colonial-era railroad network in India, which has become the world’s most populous country with 1.42 billion.

Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India‘s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.

Modi flew to the crash site and spent half an hour examining the relief effort and talking to rescue officials. He was seen giving instructions on the phone to officials in New Delhi.

He later visited a hospital where he walked around inquiring from doctors about the treatment being given to the injured, and spoke to some of them, moving from bed to bed in a ward.

Modi told reporters that it was a sad moment and he was feeling the pain of those who have suffered in the accident. He said the government would do its utmost to help them and strictly punish those found responsible.

Modi on Saturday was supposed to inaugurate a high-speed train connecting Goa and Mumbai that is equipped with a collision avoidance system. The event was canceled after Friday’s accident. The trains that derailed did not have that system.

At least 288 dead, railway official says

14:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

At least 288 people have been killed in a train accident in eastern India, a railway official has said.

Rescuers find no more survivors

14:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, officials said Saturday.

Chaotic scenes erupted after the derailment on Friday night about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches.

The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. Scores of bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the tracks while locals and rescuers raced to free the hundreds of people trapped in the rail cars under the twisted metal and broken glass.

Army soldiers and air force helicopters joined the effort.

An Associated Press photographer saw bodies still entangled in a badly mangled coach, as rescuers struggled to retrieve them working under the oppressive heat with temperatures reaching up to 35 degree Celsius (96 degrees Fahrenheit).

“By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha state’s fire and emergency department, told The Associated Press.

“This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career.”

At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, he said. About 900 people were injured and the cause was under investigation.

PM Modi reaches accident site to take stock of tragedy

13:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi reached the site of the tragic accident to take stock of the extent of the accident.

The incident involving the collision of two passenger trains yesterday has killed over 200 individuals and injured over 900.

The prime minister then visited a hospital in Balasore to meet the injured victims, according to news agency ANI.

Mr Modi reportedly spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all needed help is provided to the injured and their families.

How rescuers found survivors at crash site

13:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

Just moments after two trains collided in the eastern Indian state of Odisha at 7pm local time yesterday, people living nearby rushed to the site to evacuate trapped passengers after hearing a loud sound.

Over 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night as part of the rescue efforts.

“By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies...This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha state’s fire and emergency department, told AP, adding that at least 280 bodies were recovered overnight.

Rescuers said their efforts were however slowed due to two train cars being pressed together by the impact of the accident.

Many rescuers climbed atop wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches.

“The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” PTI reported, citing Rupam Banerjee, a survivor.

Aerial visuals show extent of devastation from deadly collision

12:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Videos captured by drones show mangled and derailed train carriages and people strewn across the ground as rescue workers searched the site for trapped passengers.

The devastating accident killed nearly 300 people and injured hundreds in what is the deadliest railway incident in the country this century.

Aerial visuals over scene of deadly India train accident show extent of deadly crash

Aerial footage shows damaged carriages derailed and laying on their sides near the tracks as well as meters away.

Rescue operations end as no more survivors found

12:01 , Vishwam Sankaran

No more survivors were found in the mangled wreckage of the train crash in eastern India that killed over 280 people and injured nearly 900.

In one of the deadliest train accidents in the last two decades, two passenger trains derailed in eastern India and at least 280 bodies were recovered overnight.

As rescuers, army soldiers, and air force helicopters searched for trapped passengers, the death toll from the incident steadily rose throughout the night.

“This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha state’s fire and emergency department, told AP, adding that at least 280 bodies were recovered from the site.

French president Macron expresses condolences

11:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

French president Emmanuel Macron tweeted his “deepest condolences” following India’s deadliest train accident of the century.

“My deepest condolences to President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and the people of India after the tragic train accident in Odisha,” Mr Macron said.

“France stands in solidarity with you. My thoughts are with the families of the victims,” he said.

'Rescue operation completed, restoration started'

11:28 , Vishwam Sankaran

Following the devastating train collision in Odisha that has left over 250 people dead and about 900 injured, the Indian railway ministry said operations to search and rescue trapped passengers have been completed.

The ministry said work to restore the tracks to function has also commenced.

“Rescue operation completed at derailment site and restoration work has commenced,” the railway ministry tweeted.

PM Modi chairs meeting to take stock of train crash

11:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to review the situation following the train crash in Odisha that killed over 200 people.

The meeting reportedly took stock of rescue, relief, and medical attention provided to those affected.

“In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon,” Mr Modi tweeted.

Deadly train crashes in India in recent times

10:58 , Vishwam Sankaran

The deadly train crash in Odisha on Friday has left nearly 300 people dead and over 900 injured, making it one of the deadliest in India’s history and the worst this century.

Watch live: Rescue workers search wreckage of deadly India train collision

These are some of the other deadly train crashes in recent decades in India:

In August 1999, the head-on collision of two trains in the city of Gauhati killed over 285 people and a year before that a locomotive crash in the northern town of Khanna led to over 210 people dying.

One of the deadliest crashes in Indian history happened in 1995 when 358 people died as a result of two trains colliding near New Delhi after one of the locomotives had stopped after hitting a cow.

More recently, in 2016, at least 146 people were killed when a passenger train traveling between the cities of Indore and Patna slid off the tracks, and in 2010 145 died in the state of West Bengal as a passenger train derailed and was hit by a cargo train.

An estimated 12 million people ride the 14,000 trains across India daily, but despite government efforts to improve rail safety, accidents continue to happen.

WATCH: West Bengal party chief visits injured from India train derailment

10:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

An estimated 900 people were injured in a train derailment in India on Friday.

West Bengal’s Sukanta Majumdar, chief of the region’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was among the leaders who visited the wounded in Balasore.

Impact was so hard, coaches lifted into the air, says report

09:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

The impact from Friday’s train accident was so hard that coaches were lifted high into the air before they smashed onto the tracks, according to reports.

A coach was tossed on its roof, a report in NDTV said.

India’s Railways Ministry has ordered an investigation into what may have caused the crash.

'Anguished by the tragic news,' Rahul Gandhi says

09:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

India’s disqualified opposition leader tweeted that he is anguished by the news of the train accident in Odisha.

“Anguished by the tragic news of the accident involving the Coromandel Express, in Balasore, Odisha,” Mr Gandhi said.

“My heart goes out to the bereaved families. Wishing for the speedy recovery of those injured,” he said, urging workers and leaders of the Congress party to extend support or rescue efforts.

'People were sprawled over one another, it was utter mayhem’

08:39 , Vishwam Sankaran

Eyewitnesses in one of India’s deadliest train accidents said there were bodies strewn everywhere and people were ‘sprawled over one another’ hours after two passenger trains collided in the eastern Odisha state.

“It was utter mayhem. We were left grappling with the shock of the situation, unable to comprehend the magnitude of the tragedy. Eventually, we managed to escape,” Vandana Khated, an eyewitness, told Indian news channel Aajtak.

“This was my worst nightmare and the images will haunt me for life,” an eyewitness said.

Odisha government orders day of mourning

08:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

Indian officials have called for a day of mourning following a massive train derailment that killed over 200 people on Friday in the state of Odisha.

“In view of tragic rail accident at Bahanaga, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sri Naveen Patnaik has ordered for State Mourning for a day,” they wrote on Twitter.

PM Modi to visit site of train accident – report

07:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the site of the train accident in which nearly 300 people have died, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.

The tragedy killed more than 280 people and trapped hundreds of others inside over a dozen damaged rail cars.

Rescue operations at the site have been completed, according to Reuters.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik reached the site of the accident to take stock of the situation.

Mr Modi earlier tweeted, expressing his condolences to bereaved families.

“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha,” he wrote on Twitter.

“In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon,” the Indian prime minister said.

Canadian prime minister Trudeau expresses condolences

07:15 , Vishwam Sankaran

Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau expressed his “deepest condolences” to those who lost loved ones in India’s deadliest train accident of the century which has seen over 200 people killed.

“The images and reports of the train crash in Odisha, India break my heart. I’m sending my deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones, and I’m keeping the injured in my thoughts,” Mr Trudeau tweeted.

“At this difficult time, Canadians are standing with the people of India,” he said.

Nearly 50 trains cancelled so far

06:51 , Vishwam Sankaran

At least 48 trains have been cancelled following the railway tragedy in Odisha where nearly 300 people were killed.

According to a railways spokesperson, at least 39 trains have been diverted and 10 have been short-terminated.

More than 100 people have also claimed their ex-gratia payments, the spokesperson said.

Drone footage shows extent of damage at train accident site

06:19 , Vishwam Sankaran

Aerial visuals from Indian news agency ANI’s drone camera shed light on the extent of damage at the accident site.

The death toll due to the incident, in which two passenger trains collided in India’s Odisha state, has increased close to 300.

The collision, which is the deadliest of the century, occurred at about 19:00 local time on Friday when the Howrah Superfast Express, running from Bangalore to Howrah, West Bengal, collided with the Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai.

Some reports suggest a freight train was also involved in the crash.

What has Narendra Modi said about the Odisha train crash

05:49 , Josh Marcus

The Indian prime minister expressed his condolonces on Friday to the victims of a massive train derailment in Odisha.

“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha,” he wrote on Twitter. “In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon.”

US ambassador expresses condolences to victims' families

05:14 , Vishwam Sankaran

US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti tweeted his condolences to the families of passengers who lost their lives due to the train collision.“On behalf of the U.S. Mission in India, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic train accident in Balasore,” Mr Garcetti tweeted.

“We stand with India and the people of Odisha in this time of grief,” he said.

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong also expressed her “deepest sympathies” following the accident.

“Our thoughts are also with the many injured, and with the emergency personnel working to assist them,” Ms Wong tweeted.

Timeline of Indian train collision

05:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

The accident occurred yesterday at about 19:00 local time when the Howrah Superfast Express, running from Bangalore to Howrah, West Bengal, collided with the Coromandel Express that runs from Kolkata to Chennai.

It remains unclear which train derailed first to become entangled with the other and authorities are investigating the incident further.

Some local media reports suggest a freight train was also involved in the crash.

Previous reports had warned that loco pilots in India were working prolonged hours due to an acute shortage of manpower, highlighting this factor as one reason accidents were increasing across the rail network.

People in queues to donate blood for survivors

04:06 , Vishwam Sankaran

People queue up at hospitals in Balasore city in the Indian state of Odisha to donate blood for survivors of the horrific train accident yesterday.

The accident, in which one train got derailed and was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, has left over 233 dead and over 900 injured.

India‘s prime minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was “distressed” by the incident and that “all possible assistance” is being given to those affecte

ICYMI: Dozens dead and hundreds injured as train derails in India

03:49 , Vishwam Sankaran

At least 233 people were killed and 900 are injured in India after a passenger train derailed and collided with a goods train in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday, according to reports.

Rescue operations were underway at the site and “all possible assistance” is being given to those affected, India‘s prime minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet today.

The collision is a “grave accident”, H K Dwivedi, West Bengal’s chief secretary told reporters. South Eastern Railway officials, who did not want to be named, said they fear heavy casualties, without disclosing the number of deaths.

Joe Middleton is following the story for The Independent.

Dozens dead and hundreds injured as two trains crash in India

Video shows site of Odisha train crash

01:49 , Josh Marcus

As morning dawns on Odisha’s Balasore district, video shows the site of a massive train derailment in India that killed and wounded hundreds of people on Friday.

The clip, from ANI, shows the wreckage of multiple locomotives surrounded by numerous emergency personnel and bystanders.

Death toll rises to 207 in India rail crash

01:00 , Josh Marcus

An estimated 207 people were killed on Friday in a train derailment in India, according to state officials.

Another roughly 900 were injured in the crash, one of the deadliest in Indian history.

Crash highlights persistent safety issues on India’s iconic rail system

Saturday 3 June 2023 00:30 , Josh Marcus

India, with roughly 78,610 miles of track, has the fourth largest rail network in the world.

The system is an integral part of India’s modern history and economic development, according to experts.

“Very few countries are defined by their railways, but India’s recent history is inseparable from the development of its enormous rail network,” Christian Wolmar, a historian and author of Railways and The Raj, told CNN.

The rail system, however, suffers from poor maintenance and aging infrastructure.

In 2021, 16,431 people died in railway accidents in the country.

The Odisha train disaster, by the numbers

Saturday 3 June 2023 00:00 , Josh Marcus

Rescue forces across the Indian state of Odisha were mobilised on Friday after three trains were involved in a massive derailment crash.

More than 120 people died in the accident

850, meanwhile, were injured, according to state officials.

More than 100 extra doctors were mobilised to the site, as were 200 ambulances.

Odisha train derailment among worst in recent history

Friday 2 June 2023 23:30 , Josh Marcus

Friday’s train crash in India is among the country’s worst in recent history, according to NDTV.

The estimated death toll of 120 eclipses that of accidents like a 2015 accident on the Janata Express, which killed 30, and a 2011 accident involving a bus on the Chhapra-Mathura Express that killed 69 people in Uttar Pradesh.

Death toll hits 120 and “might go up” in Odisha rail disaster

Friday 2 June 2023 23:00 , Josh Marcus

Over 120 bodies have been recovered in India from the site of a train derailment in the state of Odisha, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director general of the local fire department told Reuters.

An estimated 850 people have been taken to local hospitals.

600 injured in Odisha derailment

Friday 2 June 2023 21:54 , Josh Marcus

About 600 people were injured in Friday’s train derailment in Odisha, according to Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena.

Death toll rises in Odisha train crash

Friday 2 June 2023 21:24 , Josh Marcus

It’s now believed at least 70 people were killed in a train derailment in Odisha, India, on Friday, the Washington Post reports.

The crash occured around 7.20pm, when a passenger train derailed, sending some of its cars onto the opposing track, an accident that eventually ensnared three trains altogether.

Survivor of Odisha train recounts seeing ‘severed limbs'

Friday 2 June 2023 20:35 , Josh Marcus

A survivor of the Odisha train derailment described a harrowing journey to make it to safety.

The man, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, told ANI he was sleeping when the derailment occured, and soon found himself buried under a large group of people.

“I was nodding off when the accident happened and the coach derailed. I was suddenly awake and, before I could do something, I was almost crushed by 10 to 15 people on top of me. We were in a bogie where the reservation was like a general compartment. There’s a lot of pain in my arms, neck and shoulders. When I was able to come out of the bogie, I saw some bodies lying around with severed limbs and smashed faces. I’ve been sitting here since I got out,” the man said, according to a translation from News18.

‘First concern’ of rescuers is to ‘look after the living'

Friday 2 June 2023 20:15 , Josh Marcus

First responders from multiple government agencies are responding to a train derailment that occured on Friday in Odisha.

The incident, in which the Howrah Superfast Express collided with the Coromandel Express, killed at least 50 people and injured hundreds.

“Removing the living to the hospitals, that’s our first concern, to look after the living,” Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said of the rescue effort, Reuters reports.

What was the worst train accident in India’s history?

Friday 2 June 2023 19:55 , Josh Marcus

India is home to the world’s largest train network under one management, and has hundreds of accidents each year.

Friday’s derailment in Odisha is one of a number of high-casualty incidents that have occured on Indian rail.

The deadliest ever was a 1995 collision near New Delhi, which killed 358 people, the Associated Press reports.

What caused the Odisha train crash?

Friday 2 June 2023 19:35 , Josh Marcus

New details are emerging about what caused Friday’s train derailment in Odisha.

The incident occured, according to Railway Ministray spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, when the Yashwantpur-Howrah Superfast hit the derailed bogies of the Coromandel Express, which had crashed on the opposite track.

Compensation offered for victims of India train crash

Friday 2 June 2023 19:15 , Josh Marcus

Indian railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday that vicitms of the Odisha derailment will be offered compensation.

He detailled the assistance in a Twitter post.

Number of injured rises to 400

Friday 2 June 2023 19:00 , Josh Marcus

Updated figures suggest at least 400 people in India were injured in Friday’s train derailment in the state of Odisha.

Sudhanshu Sarangi, the director general of the state’s fire services, told NDTV that he didn’t have “clarity” about the number of those killed, but said officials hoped to “complete the rescue operation in the next two to three hours,” according to Al Jazeera.

Indian railway minister says rescue will require ‘all hands'

Friday 2 June 2023 18:40 , Josh Marcus

Search-and-rescue teams have been mobilised to the Balasore district of Odisha, where a train derailment killed numerous people in India on Friday.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s railway minister, wrote on Twitter on Friday that rescue teams from a variety of different agencies are working at the crash site.

The effort “will take all hands required for the rescue ops.”

Narendra Modi speaks out about train crash

Friday 2 June 2023 18:32 , Josh Marcus

The prime minister of India says he is closely monitoring a Friday rail crash in the state of Odisha that left at least 50 dead.

“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter. “May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given to those affected.”

Breaking: Dozens dead and hundreds injured as train derails in India

Friday 2 June 2023 18:30 , Josh Marcus

At least 50 people were killed and 300 hospitalized in India after a passenger train derailed and collided with a goods train in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday, according to reports.

Rescue operations were underway at the site and “all possible assistance” is being given to those affected, India‘s prime minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet today.

The collision is a “grave accident”, H K Dwivedi, West Bengal’s chief secretary told reporters. South Eastern Railway officials, who did not want to be named, said they fear heavy casualties, without disclosing the number of deaths.

The Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, derailed and fell on the opposite track, with many people still trapped, the reports said.

Dozens dead and hundreds injured as train derails in India

Live coverage of the Odisha train crash

Friday 2 June 2023 18:30 , Josh Marcus

At least 50 people are dead following a catstrophic train crash in India.

We’ll be covering the latest developments regarding the incident in Odisha’s Balasore district.