Balasore/Howrah, Jun 2: At least 50 people died and 350 people were injured as a three way accident involving Bengaluru-Howrah superfast express, the Coromandel Express and goods train on three separate tracks occurred at Bahanagar in Odisha's Balasore district.
A railway official said that several coaches of 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah superfast express travelling to Howrah, derailed at Bahanagabazar and fell on the up line.
"These derailed coaches collided with 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and its coaches capsized too," he said.
A goods train was also involved in the accident as the coaches of the Coromandel Express hit its wagons after getting derailed, the official said.
The accident occurred at around 7 pm, about 255 kms from Howrah, he said.
Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahoo said 47 people have so far been admitted to the Balasore Medical College and Hospital.
A PTI reporter at the spot said several people were trapped under the derailed coaches, and locals were assisting emergency services personnel to rescue them, but darkness was hindering the operation.
Odisha's Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said 132 injured persons were admitted to Soro, Gopalpur and Khantapada health centres, while 47 people were admitted to the Balasore Medical College and Hospital.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed Special Relief Secretary Satyabrata Sahoo and Revenue Minister Pramila Malik to rush to the accident site, officials said.
Accident relief trains have been dispatched to the spot, a South Eastern Railway official said.
Four units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), three units of NDRF and 60 ambulances were working to rescue the injured, officials said.
The Odisha government has issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was distressed by the accident, and spoke with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take stock of the situation.
"Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. 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," he tweeted.
West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said the state was sending a team led by minister Manas Bhunia and MP Dola Sen to the spot.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was personally monitoring the situation along with the chief secretary and other officials.
"We are coordinating with Odisha government and South Eastern Railways for our people's sake. Our emergency control room has been activated at once with numbers 033- 22143526/ 22535185. All out efforts for rescue, retrieval, aid and assistance initiated," she tweeted.
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Bengaluru: The airport police have reportedly arrested and booked a 23-year-old YouTuber for allegedly breaching airport security under the pretext of traveling from Bengaluru to Chennai.
The arrested YouTuber has been identified as Bengaluru-based Vikas Gowda. Gowda, in a video uploaded on the video-sharing platform on April 12, mocked the security personnel of the airport.
Despite restrictions to enter a sensitive area like the airport, Gowda shot the video at the Terminal-2 of the airport on April 7. Stringent legal action will be taken against the accused, said DCP Lakshmi Prasad of North East Division.
Vikas Gowda, who has 1.3 lakh followers on his YouTube channel, has been performing several stunts to attract more views on his videos. Gowda has reportedly posted around 60 videos on his YouTube channel. DCP Lakshmi Prasad further stated that Vikas Gowda's phone has been seized.
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Accused Vikas Gowda falsely claimed to be a genuine air traveler by booking a very cheap flight ticket from Bengaluru to Chennai. After completing the security check on April 7, he did not proceed to the boarding gate.
He had a hidden recording device with him, through which he started filming scenes in restricted areas by entering illegally. DCP Lakshmi Prasad has informed that the accused has been arrested, and further investigations are ongoing regarding the incident.