Dozens of people died in a serious train crash in India on Friday evening. The news agency PTI and “India Today” reported 70 dead, other media gave numbers between 30 and 50. Hundreds of people were injured, it said. The rescue work took place in the dark. According to the Times of India, a high-ranking official from Odisha said two passenger trains and one freight train were involved in the accident. The exact course of the accident is still unclear.
According to the authorities, around 50 ambulances should be on site. Videos showed how helpers tried to save passengers from overturned wagons. An eyewitness told local television station NDTV that he saw human body parts everywhere. He woke up when his train derailed. “10 to 15 people fell on me. My hands and neck were injured,” said the eyewitness.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Shaken by the Odisha train crash. At this hour of sadness, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.” The prime minister’s office announced compensation for each of the dead’s relatives of 200,000 rupees (2,267 euros). According to this, injured persons should each receive 50,000 rupees (567 euros).