By Arkoneil Ghosh:
The nation has been shaken by the recent train accident in Odisha’s Balasore. The train deviated from its intended route on Friday at 7 p.m. IST, departing from its journey that began in Kolkata on Friday afternoon and ended in Chennai on Sunday. Examinations have uncovered that the train erroneously entered the circle line rather than the primary line, bringing about a crash with a product train. The outcomes have been devastating, with no less than 294 avoidable deaths and 1175 wounds announced as of June fifth. This is the deadliest train accident that has occurred in India in the last two decades.
The Coromandel Express was traveling at an initial speed of 128 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour) toward Chennai. It initially received a signal to continue on the main line, but an unanticipated change caused it to be diverted to the loop line, where it collided with a stationary goods train. All 22 coaches derail because of the collision, which caused the Coromandel Express train to ride over the goods train wagon. On a separate line, the Bengaluru–Howrah Express was simultaneously traveling north toward Howrah at a speed of 126 km/h (78 mph). Three of its coaches collided with the final two coaches of the derailed train, resulting in a higher number of casualties, despite the fact that the majority of its coaches had safely passed the Coromandel Express.
As a reaction to this terrible occasion, the Railways have declared a compensation of 10 lakhs INR for the families of the deceased. West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also agreed to pay out 5 lakh Indian Rupees in compensation. In addition, Chief Ministers MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu and Naveen Patnaik of Odisha have declared a day of mourning. Train services have been further disrupted as a result of the accident, with at least 50 trains and 39 on the same route being canceled.
We at Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN) especially the ADN India Hub located in Bhubaneswar in Odisha have joined hands with local collaborators in assisting the victims of this catastrophic disaster in reclaiming their lives and returning to normalcy as quickly as possible. We are of the firm belief that such avoidable deaths from train crashes can be prevented.
[1] Master Arkoneil Ghosh is ADN’s Junior Champion and Administrator of the Global Campaign: International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths