India’s deadliest railway crash: Here is what happened

Balasore: At least 238 people were killed and more than 900 injured when Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train collided near Balasore.

Here is the timeline of the incident

-June 2, between 6.50 pm and 7.10 pm, Train no 12841 Coromandal Express (Howrah- Chennai) got derailed near Bahanaga bazaar station in Odisha's Balasore, and hit the goods train after which many coaches flipped over.

-Train no 12864 SMVB-HWH Superfast Exp (Sir M.Visvesvaraya Terminal- Howrah) also got derailed at Bahanaga Bazaar station.

-The Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast then collided with the derailed coaches. Both trains were moving at a high speed when the collisions took place.

-Bahanaga Bazar railway station is a railway station on the Kharagpur-Puri line, part of the Howrah Chennai main line under the Kharagpur railway division of the South Eastern Railway zone in Balasore district in Odisha.

Pijush Poddar, a resident of Berhampore in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, said the train bogie turned on one side. Many of the passengers were thrown out of the compartment by the momentum of the derailment, while a few managed to crawl out.

-By the time, some of the passengers reached out with injuries, they found bodies lying all around.

-The local people who rushed to the incident site went out on a limb to help the passengers. They not only helped in pulling out people but retrieved their luggage and got them water.

-On information, Railway authorities have immediately rushed to the spot to coordinate rescue and relief operations

-Self Propelled Accident Relief Medical Vans (SPARME), and Accident Relief Trains (ART) were ordered from Kharagpur, Balasore & Santragachi.

-9 NDRF, 5 ODRAF, 24 Fire services started rescue operations.

-The teams smashed train coaches torn open and twisted train tracks.

-200 ambulances, 50 buses, and 45 mobile health units were working at the accident site, besides 1,200 personnel. The bodies were being taken to the hospitals in all kinds of vehicles, including tractors.

-Helplines No's issued, and helpline centers set up at all the stations to help the passengers.

-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sent teams to coordinate the rescue operations.

-At around 10 pm on June 2, doctors and resident doctors from the medical college in Cuttack reached Balasore for medical assistance.

-At around midnight, the number of deaths reported are 70, and 179 injured.

-On June 2 night, 500 units of blood were collected at Balasore, and 900 units were in stock for the accident victims.

-By June 3, 6 am, the official death toll reached 233, 900 injured.

-On June 3, at around 9 am, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the accident spot and reviewed the rescue operations.

-Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a high-level committee has been formed to inquire about the accident.

-Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said the government is handing over the identified bodies to their relatives or being transported to their respective destinations after autopsy. A statutory procedure will be followed for the unidentified ones.

-Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin takes stock of the situation at the State Emergency Operation Centre in Chennai.

-On June 3, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asked to send a team of three IAS officers headed by IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath to the spot.

-NDRF teams are currently working on the rescue of one severely damaged compartment, trying to recover the people.