Altogether 260 people, who were injured in the triple train accident in Balasore, are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals across Odisha, while around 900 have been discharged so far, health department officials said on Sunday.

Three Union ministers -- Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mansukh Mandaviya and Dharmendra Pradhan -- visited the state-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where 202 injured people have been admitted, an official of the health facility said.

"Across the state, around 900 patients, out of 1,175 injured passengers in the train accident, have been discharged. A total of 260 injured are currently undergoing treatment in different hospitals, including private ones, in Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Soro and Jajpur.

"All are stable except one whose condition is stated to be critical," an official of the health department said.

At least 202 people injured in the accident have been admitted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Dr Bhubananda Maharana, the emergency officer, said.

"So far 13 passengers have been discharged, while seven patients are in the ICU. The condition of the remaining patients is stable," he said.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, visited wards of the state-run hospital and interacted with the patients who suffered injuries in the accident, Maharana said, adding that the ministers spoke to the doctors to enquire about the health condition of the victims.

Mandaviya said that doctors from three premier health facilities in New Delhi -- AIIMS, Lady Hardinge Hospital and RML Hospital -- have reached the state along with modern equipment and medicines for the treatment of the injured passengers.

Noting that over 100 patients need critical care, he said, We had a detailed discussion, and a working plan has also been prepared.

Mandaviya visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar where the bodies of those who died in the train crash were kept.

He held a review meeting with senior doctors and officials of the health facility in the state capital.

He also visited the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar to know about the condition of the injured patients admitted there.

On their way to Bhubaneswar, Vaishnaw and Dharmendra also visited hospitals at Soro and Bhadrak and enquired about the treatment of the injured persons admitted to these facilities.   -- PTI

The railways on Sunday said that even ticketless travellers on board the passenger trains involved in the Odisha accident will receive compensation.

This is in line with a Supreme Court order, officials said.

'Irrespective of the passengers being ticketless (or not), they will receive compensation,' railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said.

Speaking to reporters, Jaya Verma Sinha, Member of Operations and Business Development of the Railway Board, said that every patient admitted in hospitals have a scout or a guide with him to help his kin to track him.

Verma further said the helpline number 139 is available in which senior rail officers are answering calls and are trying to connect with as many people as possible.

"The family members of the injured or deceased can call us and we will make sure that they are able to meet them. We will take care of their journey and other expenses," she said.

The railways also said that the 139 service will continue uninterrupted and will ensure prompt disbursal of ex gratia announced by the rail minister -- Rs 10 lakh in case of death, Rs 2 lakh for grievous injuries and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries.

So far, the railways has disbursed Rs 3.22 crore as ex gratia in 285 cases -- 11 deaths, 50 grievous injuries and 224 minor injuries.

The Indian Railways is paying ex gratia amount at seven locations -- Soro, Kharagpur, Balasore, Khantapara, Bhadrak, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

There are around 200 victims who are yet to be identified.

The South Eastern Railway has put up their photographs on its website for identification purposes.   -- PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday questioned the death figures given by the Ministry of Railways in the triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore, stating that 61 people from her state were dead and 182 were still missing.

Banerjee asked questions on whether Vande Bharat engines were up to the mark.

"If from one state, 182 are missing and 61 are confirmed dead, then where would the figures stand?" she asked, addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna.

At least 275 people were killed and 1,175 injured in the triple train accident in Balasore, according to officials.

Three trains Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah super fast and a goods train were involved in Friday's accident, now being described as one of India's worst train accidents.

Stating that Duronto Express trains introduced during her tenure as the railway minister were 'pushed out of priority', Banerjee asked whether the Vande Bharat Express trains' engines were up to the mark.

Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party forced her to speak out despite this being a very sad situation, she said, "It was being stated by some sections that so many people died during my tenure and that of Nitish Kumar or Lalu Prasad Yadav."

Banerjee said the new signal system and anti-collision device were introduced during her tenure as the railway minister.

"The name Vande Bharat is good, but you have seen what happened that day when a tree branch fell on it," she said, about a mishap the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat suffered on the second day after its inauguration.

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2.

A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time.

Investigators are looking into possible human error, signal failure and other possible causes behind the three-train crash.   -- PTI

The Railway Board has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Balasore train accident that has so far claimed 275 lives.

We have recommended a CBI probe into the triple train accident that claimed 275 lives and left over 1,000 injured, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening.

The Centre along with the support of the state government are giving all support to the injured patients who are admitted to various hospitals in Balasore, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

"Patients are being given all facilities in hospitals. There are teams of doctors who are taking care of patients round-the-clock," Vaishnaw said.

He said the government was trying to get in touch with the families of the deceased.

"We are trying to get in touch with families of the dead," the minister added. -- PTI

The Delhi high court will on Monday pronounce its order on Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia's plea seeking interim bail for six weeks in a money laundering case arising from the alleged excise policy scam.

The former Delhi deputy chief minister has sought release on a temporary basis on the ground of being the sole caretaker of his ailing wife.

His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court.

Sisodia, who was arrested on March 9, is currently in judicial custody in the case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The verdict on the interim bail plea will be pronounced by Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma.

It was reserved on Saturday when Sisodia's lawyer had claimed that pursuant to the court's directions passed on Friday, the AAP leader was taken in custody to meet his wife earlier in the day but the latter's health condition deteriorated and she was taken to be the LNJP Hospital before he could reach home.

The ED has opposed the plea for interim bail on the grounds of possibility of evidence tampering.

The federal agency's lawyer has also claimed that Sisodia's wife has been suffering from a medical condition for the last 20 years and even earlier pleas for interim bail on identical grounds were withdrawn by the former minister.

The Delhi excise policy was implemented by the AAP government on November 17, 2021, but it was scrapped at the end of September last year amid allegations of corruption.

On May 30, the court had dismissed Sisodia's bail plea in the excise policy scam case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying he is an influential person and the allegations against him are very serious in nature.

In the CBI case, the high court has kept the interim bail plea pending for July. -- PTI

A five-member team, including a doctor, reached Odisha's Balasore on Sunday to assist those from Jharkhand, who were injured in the triple train accident there, for their treatment.

The team has so far found around 50 people from Jharkhand were injured and two killed in the train crash, an official said.

"We have got a list of around 35 people, who were injured in the accident.

Apart from them, we also received information about 11 injured people, who are from our state, but their details are not found in the database here. They are being searched through various sources," Jharkhand labour secretary Rajesh Kumar Sharma, who is leading the team, told PTI over the phone.

Sharma also said two persons from Jharkhand's Godda district were killed in the accident.

"Their bodies are being sent to Godda," he said.

Apart from the labour secretary, Ranchi deputy commissioner Rahul Kumar Sinha, Dr Ajit Kumar from Ranchi's Sadar Hospital and two others are also in the team.

They were sent to Balasore at the direction of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Soren on Saturday had tweeted that a team from Jharkhand, comprising officials and doctors, would go to the neighbouring state by helicopter.

Sharma said that arrangements are being made to send those who received minor injuries in the accident to their respective homes in Jharkhand.

"We met a couple of injured persons in hospital, who have fracture issues. They are being treated here. They would be brought to Jharkhand, once doctors allow them to travel," he said.

At least 275 people were killed and 1,175 injured in the triple train accident in Balasore.

Three trains Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah super fast and a goods train were involved in Friday's accident, now being described as one of India's worst train accidents.  -- PTI

More than 1,500 passengers including a large number of labourers are stranded at the Byappanahalli Railway Station in Bengaluru due to the cancelled trains as a fallout of the train derailment in Odisha.

With a big crisis unfolding at the Byappanahalli, the labour department and the Bengaluru civic agency on Sunday arranged food, water and mobile toilets for the passengers stuck at the railway station.

On the directions of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the government departments joined hands to provide basic facilities including food and water to the stranded labourers and passengers whose trains to Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and other north-eastern states have been cancelled.

Various social organisations too joined to serve the passengers stuck at the railway station.  -- PTI

Odisha Police Sunday appealed to all sections to desist from circulating rumours giving a communal colour to Balasore's triple train accident where at least 275 people have died and over 1,100 injured.

The Odisha police also warned that severe legal action will be initiated against those found trying to create communal disharmony by spreading any rumor.

Taking to twitter, the Odisha police said: 'It has come to notice that some social media handles are mischievously giving a communal colour to the tragic train accident at Balasore. This is highly unfortunate.'

It added, 'We appeal to all concerned to desist from circulating such false and ill-motivated posts. Severe legal action will be initiated against those who are trying to create communal disharmony by spreading rumours.'

Among other social media messages were some which linked a structure near the rail accident site with a particular community, which many others have condemned.  --  PTI

A senior Bangladeshi diplomat, Sheikh Marefat Ali Islam, on Sunday visited Soro Hospital in Odisha's Balasore district to provide consular assistance to Bangladeshi passengers injured in the triple train crash.

Islam told PTI that few Bangladeshi passengers were recuperating in different hospitals in Odisha but there was no news of death of any citizen of that country in the crash.

One Bangladeshi passenger admitted at a Bhadrak hospital was discharged after treatment.

Another has been referred to SCB Medical College in Cuttack.

On Saturday, I had visited a Balasore hospital,  he said.

If there's any information on injured Bangladeshi patients, please dial our deputy high commission at Kolkata - 9038353533,  Marefat, second secretary in the Bangladesh deputy high commission which looks after eastern India, added.

Several unclaimed bodies are lying in a few hospitals in Bhubaneswar. We will have to find out if there are any Bangladeshis among them, he added.

He thanked the Odisha government for providing support in tracing the injured and dead Bangladeshi citizens in various hospitals.

Around 20 lakh Bangladeshis visit India every year mainly for treatment, with many of them preferring medical institutions in southern states.

Three trains  Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah super fast and a goods train   were involved in the pile-up, now being described as one of India's worst train accidents.

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at around 7 pm Friday. A few passenger wagons of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time.

Investigators are looking into possible human error, signal failure and other possible causes behind the three-train crash.   -- PTI

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre for setting up an inquiry commission headed by a retired apex court judge to probe the cause of the train accident in Odisha's Balasore district that has left 275 people dead.

The plea filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari also sought directions to the Centre to immediately set up an expert commission headed by retired judge of the apex court and consisting of technical members to analyse and review the risk and safety parameters in the railway system and to suggest systematic safety modifications for strengthening Railway safety mechanism and submit its report to the court.

The plea submitted that non-implementation of Kavach system at the earliest has resulted in a massive loss of life and damage of public property which imputes direct liability of gross negligence and breach of duty of care by respondent authorities.

The enquiry commission headed by a retired apex court judge should conclude its probe in two months and try to examine the root cause of the accident and submit its report before the top court, the plea said.

It also sought issuance of guidelines for the implementation of the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System Kavach in Indian Railways with immediate effect.

Tiwari, in his plea, said he is seeking specific directions to the Government for the enforcement of the Railway Accidents Protective measures and to strengthen such measures to avoid accidents in the future and safeguard the fundamental right of life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Referring to train accidents that have taken place in the country in the last three decades, he submitted that authorities have been slow in providing redress in developing a safety enforcement mechanism against such collisions and accidents.

'The enforcement of safety mechanisms of train protection system is still not done at ground level throughout the country as it has been clearly proven that Kavach, which is an Automatic Train Protection System, was still not applied on this route,' the PIL said.

The PIL submitted there is an absolute necessity of installing the Kavach protection system at the earliest without which no train movement should continue.

The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying around 2,500 passengers, and a goods train occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore.   -- PTI

Days after the tragic train accident in Balasore, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena on Sunday said that the number of deaths in the incident has been revised to 275 after factoring out some 'double countings'.

The chief secretary also said that out of the 275, 88 bodies have been identified.

Speaking to ANI, Pradeep Jena said, "The Railways on Saturday said that the number of deaths is 288 and we also circulated that. But, since then the District Magistrate and his team checked each and every body recovered, checked from the track, the hospital and two temporary assembly points. It was found that some bodies were counted twice. So, after wading out the duplication, the Collector has informed that the number of deaths is 275 and not 288."

"Out of 275, 88 bodies have been identified. 78 bodies have been handed over till Sunday morning. 10 other dead bodies have been identified and the process of handing over is going on," he added.

The chief secretary further said that out of the remaining bodies, 170 have been sent to Bhubaneshwar in mortuaries and other hospitals -- AIIMS, Capital Hospital, SUM, KIM and AMRI Hospital -- while the remaining bodies will also be sent there.

All together 1,175 injured people were referred to different hospitals, he said.

Till Sunday morning, the chief secretary said 793 injured passengers have been discharged.

"Remaining, 382 were getting treated till morning. This figure will again be updated again," he said.

"Regarding the bodies that have not been identified, we have put up the photographs of the bodies and posted them on the website of three organisations; Special Relief Commissioner (SRF), Odisha State Disaster Management Authority and Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC)," added Jena.   -- ANI

The Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Odisha rail tragedy, alleging that his 'PR gimmicks' overshadowed the 'serious deficiencies, criminal negligence and complete disregard for safety and security' of Indian Railways.

The Opposition party also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should accept part of the responsibility of the 'mess' which his government has inflicted on the Indian Railways and the people.

Addressing a press conference, Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil and AICC's publicity and media department head Pawan Khera alleged that the Odisha rail tragedy was a 'man-made devastation' caused by 'utter negligence, serious lapses in the system, incompetence, and a narcissistic sense of know-it-all attitude of the Modi government'.

Prime Minister Modi, who has announced that the guilty would be punished, must first start with his Railway Minister, Khera said.

"Unequivocally and unambiguously we demand the resignation of the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Nothing short of it," he said.

Earlier, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that railway safety had been compromised in the 'PR campaign' of the prime minister and the railway minister.

'Recall that Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned in the wake of the Nov 1956 Ariyalur train disaster & Nitish Kumar did so following the ghastly Aug 1999 Gaisal train tragedy,' he said in a tweet.

At the presser, Gohil and Khera posed questions to the government and asked when will PM Modi demand the resignation from his Railway Minister Vaishnaw.

They alleged that Vaishnaw's 'over the top publicity, theatrics and PR gimmicks overshadowed the serious deficiencies, criminal negligence and complete disregard for safety and security of Indian Railways'.

'PM Modi, himself is responsible for a green-flagging spree of Vande Bharat Express trains. He himself is responsible for creating this 'all is well' facade in the Indian Railways, even as crucial, sensitive, and critical infrastructure of the Indian Railway languishes in neglect,' Gohil and Khera said in their statement.

'We demand that despite multiple warnings by the CAG, Parliamentary Standing Committees, and experts   why did the Modi government not spend on sprucing up Railway Safety?' they said.

Who is responsible for the deadliest rail tragedy in independent India, Gohil and Khera asked.

Would only lower or mid-level functionaries bear the brunt of accountability or will the executive who takes all the credit for Vande Bharat trains also be held accountable for this brazen disregard for safety standards, they asked.

The Congress leaders also asked when will the Modi government implement the much-hyped Kavach Anti-Collision system nationwide, after testing.

Gohil and Khera asked when will the government pump more funds in the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) and fill up the three lakh plus vacant positions in the Indian Railways.

The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying around 2,500 passengers, and a goods train occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore.

At least 288 people were dead and over 1,100 injured in the accident. -- PTI

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and briefed him about the latest train accident situation, particularly the treatment of injured passengers.

Noting that doctors, medical students and other health care service providers are doing their best, Patnaik told the prime minister that all possible steps have been taken to save the lives of injured passengers in different hospitals of Odisha.

Stating that Odisha follows a policy that underlines 'Every Life is Precious,' Patnaik said that starting from the rescue operation to carrying injured to hospitals, and making arrangements for treatment, the state government leaves no stone unturned to save lives.

Detailing the latest situation, he said that as many as 1,175 patients were admitted to various hospitals, out of which 793 people were discharged.

Most of the injured patients are in stable condition, he added.

Currently, 382 passengers are now undergoing treatment in various government and private hospitals, the chief minister said.

The prime minister thanked the chief minister, the Odisha government for the prompt and efficient action during the crisis.

The Centre is ready to provide any kind of assistance if required, a release issued by CMO said quoting the prime minister.

The prime minister also praised the people of Odisha for the kind of support and timely help in this hour of crisis.

Both the PM and Patnaik visited the train accident site at Bahanga Bazar in Balasore district on Saturday.

Three trains  Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah super fast and a goods train were involved in the pile-up, now being described as one of India's worst train accidents.

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at around 7 pm Friday.  -- PTI

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday attacked the government over the railway tragedy in Odisha, and said one minister cannot deal with large ministries such as Railways as well as Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, as was being done by Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The accident involving two passenger trains and a goods train in Odisha's Balasore district killed at least 288 people and injured more than 1100, in one of the worst railway tragedies in the country.

In a tweet, Sibal said, 'Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for IT and Electronics, Minister for Railways. No Railway Budget. No Accountability. One minister cannot deal with such large ministries. Bullet Trains. Vande Bharat. Serve the extraordinary, let down the ordinary! Recipe for disaster !'

'Tragedies  Total derailments; 257(2017-18); 526 (2018-19) ; 399 (2019-20)...Reasons (CAG): 1)Maintenance of track (167); 2)Deviation of track parameters(149); 3)Bad driving(144). For the Rs.1 lakh cr. allocated 2017-22) for safety, Railways failed to deposit even Rs. 5000 cr each year!" he claimed in another tweet.

Sibal, who was a Union minister during the UPA 1 and UPA 2 governments, quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party's support.

He recently floated the non-electoral platform 'Insaaf', aimed at fighting injustice.   -- PTI

The root cause of the three-train crash in Odisha's Balasore district has been identified and the affected tracks will be restored for normal services by Wednesday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday.

He said the issue is of point machine and electronic interlocking.

The change that was done to electronic interlocking which led to the accident has been identified, Vaishnaw said while denying that the incident had anything to do with the anti-collision system 'Kavach'.

The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying around 2,500 passengers, and a goods train occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore.

At least 288 people were dead and over 1,100 injured in the accident.

"The enquiry into the accident has been completed and as soon as the commissioner of railway safety (CRS) provides his report all the details will be known.

"The root cause of the horrifying incident has been identified... I do not want to go into details. Let the report come out. I will just say that the root cause and the people responsible have been identified," the railway minister said.

He also said the kin of around 300 accident victims have been provided compensation.

"We met the patients and doctors at Soro Hospital. Special trains are being run from Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ranchi, Kolkata and other places so that patients can reach homes after treatment."

Speaking to reporters at the accident site, Vaishnaw said restoration work was being carried out on a war footing and tracks have already been laid on one of the main lines.

"We have mobilised all resources. I also want to say that Kavach has nothing to do with the accident. This accident occurred due to changes to the electronic interlocking system. The remarks of (West Bengal chief minister) Mamata Banerjee is not true," Vaishnaw said.

The preliminary probe report, a copy of which is with PTI, said the signal was given and taken off for the up main line for train number 12841 (Coromandel Express).

The train entered the loop line, dashed with the goods train and derailed. In the meantime, train number 12864 (Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express) passed through the down main line and two of its coaches derailed and capsized, the report said. -- PTI

As many as 137 survivors of the train accident in Odisha arrived in  Chennai on Sunday by a special train from Bhadrak, authorities said.

Following screening procedure, medical examination was conducted for 36 passengers and three of them were admitted as in-patients at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.

All others were sent home following treatment for minor injuries, an official release said.

The passengers of the train accident were received at the Dr MGR Chennai Central railway station by Revenue Minister KKSSR Ramachandran and Health Minister Ma Subramanian and top state officials.

The government said 30 medical teams are on standby and seven buses and 50 taxis have been arranged for the transportation requirements of passengers who have arrived.   -- PTI

Visiting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has a deep and humane understanding of technology and connects it directly with the impact it would have on common man and jobs, said the young Indian-American who hosted him for a meeting with Silicon Valley startup entrepreneurs working in the field of Artificial Intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.

 "He never claims that he knows everything. ...but he is always curious. (During the meeting) he expressed his kind of limitation on different subjects, but he always shows his appetite for the technology," said Shan Sankaran, founder of FixNix, a Silicon Valley-based startup that provides a cloud-based platform for simplifying GRC-related (governance, risk, compliance) decision-making.

Sankaran helped organise "AI and Human Development: A Chat with Rahul Gandhi" at the Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley incubator for startups, on Wednesday. 

During the event, Gandhi told the audience he tries to emulate his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on adoption of technology in various sectors including banking, according to Sankaran. 

"He (Rahul Gandhi) is seeing how innovation can further fuel (growth and development) in case he becomes prime minister of India (through) his vision," said Sankaran, who was given the rare O1 visa by the US meant for individuals of extraordinary capabilities.

Sankaran said Gandhi also indicated he is in favour of regulating technologies rather than banning them.

"Technology needs a lot of regulation, not banning. Right now, what's happening in India, TikTok, you don't like it, Ban it. ..The US has not banned TikTok or drones. They kind of regulate. They (United States) have an issue, they made the CEO of TikTok to come talk to the all the member of the Congress. They have a house inquiry, what they call. So those kinds of interactions always happen with even the so-called technology companies and ourselves. They never ban. Drones, they regulate. You cannot fly your drone on top of the Golden Gate," Sankaran said.

Referring to the conversations Gandhi had on the Pegasus spyware at the meeting, Sankaran said the technology invented by the Silicon Valley and Israels of the world has helped many tyrants and is being used to silence discussed, press, judiciary, opposition and independent institutions of the world, including Rahul Gandhi.

"But Rahul cannot be silenced, because he has no baggage. All the other opposition in India can be silenced. They may have some baggages. They are worried. But Rahul doesn't have any baggage. Today in fact, he said, hello to Modi. He will be listening, is what he said. It's in a comical way, but that's what it is," he said.

Sankaran said the time he spent with the Congress leader tells him that Gandhi "has a human heart" and is very empathetic. 

"He is a human being. In fact, I will call him Buddha....I will call him Buddha. He's a living Buddha. So, I think he's not behind any of this fancy designations. He could have become prime minister when they had that majority. He could have become prime minister twice. In fact, he never became the prime minister. Not a single soul in the Congress would've objected in case he wanted to become prime minister. He never choose to," he said.

Two days after one of India's worst train accidents at Bahanga Bazar in Odisha's Balasore district, most railway tracks have been cleared of wrecked railway coaches overnight by a team of bulldozers and cranes so that railway services on the main trunk line connecting eastern and southern India can be restored, railway officials said on Sunday.

Work on repairing tracks and overhead electric lines which had snapped is also going on, said officials.

"We have teams working round the clock. Restoring at least two lines -up and down - is absolutely essential as quickly as possible," a senior railway official at the site said.

A thorough search is being conducted in the passenger coaches which have been removed to check for bodies which may still be in them trapped in crumbled steel parts of the coach.

Sources said that the number of deaths in the triple train crash on Friday has also increased from 288 to 295 but this could not be confirmed as yet.

The triple train pile-up near Balasore on Friday disrupted passenger and goods traffic between important industrial centres.

Three trains Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah super fast and a goods train were involved in the pile-up, now being described as one of India's worst train accidents. -- PTI  

An on leave National Disaster Response Force jawan travelling on the Coromandel Express was perhaps the first person to alert emergency services about the train's accident in Odisha's Balasore before he joined initial rescue efforts, officials said on Saturday.

The Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express entered a wrong track and hit a stationary goods train on Friday. Its coaches got scattered all around including on an adjoining track and another passenger train -- Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express -- coming at a high speed rammed into them and derailed.

The worst rail accident in India in nearly three decades has left at least 288 people dead and over 1,100 injured.

National Disaster Response Force jawan Venkatesh NK was on leave and travelling from Howrah in West Bengal to Tamil Nadu. 

He had a narrow escape as his coach B-7, though derailed did not collide with coaches ahead of it, the officials said. He was in a third AC coach and his seat number was 58.

The 39-year-old, posted with the NDRF's 2nd battalion in Kolkata, first called his senior inspector in the battalion to inform him about the accident. He then sent the "live location" of the site on WhatsApp to the NDRF control room, and this was used by the first rescue teams to reach the spot, they said.

"I felt a massive jolt...and then I saw some passengers in my coach falling down. I brought the first passenger out and seated him in a shop near the railway track...I then rushed to help others," Venkatesh told PTI from on board a relief train that is taking him to Chennai.

He said locals, including a medical shop owner, were the "real saviours" as they helped the victims with whatever was available with them.

The crash involving the two passenger trains, which were carrying around 2,300 passengers, occurred near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.

"The jawan Venkatesh was travelling in the Coromandel Express as he was going on leave to his home in Tamil Nadu. He rang up his seniors in Kolkata as soon as the accident took place. That phone call was probably the first that alerted the NDRF which subsequently informed the local administration too," an official said.  

The jawan, who joined the NDRF in 2021 from the Border Security Force, said he used his mobile phone light to locate hurt and trapped passengers, and took them to safety.  

It was pitch dark and locals too used their mobile phones and torches to help passengers till rescue teams arrived.

NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahedi in Delhi said that "an NDRF jawan is always on duty whether donning a uniform or not."

The first NDRF and Odisha state rescue teams took about an hour to reach the site following the accident that took place around 7 pm on Friday, and till this time, the NDRF rescuer did whatever he could do to save lives in the "golden hour", the official said.

 

The "golden hour" is the period of time immediately after a traumatic injury during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical and surgical treatment will prevent death. 

A team of doctors and experts from the AIIMS in Delhi and other central hospitals of Delhi have been rushed to Bhubaneswar through a special IAF flight to provide medical assistance to those injured in the deadly Odisha train accident, official sources said on Sunday.

The team is carrying medicines and heavy critical care equipment, the sources said.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is in Odisha and will visit the AIIMS Bhubaneswar and the Cuttack medical college on Sunday to take stock of medical assistance being provided to the victims of the train accident.

Doctors from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar were earlier dispatched to Balasore and Cuttack in Odisha to assist in the relief operations at the site of the train accident, Mandaviya had said on Saturday.

The triple train accident has left at least 288 people dead and over 1,100 injured.

The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. -- PTI 

Three brothers from West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, who were travelling to Tamil Nadu in search of work, lost their lives in the train accident in Odisha's Balasore, officials said.

Haran Gayen (40), Nishikant Gayen (35) and Dibakar Gayen (32), residents of Charanikhali village in Basanti Uttar, usually lived in the southern state most time of the year and did menial jobs there.

They came home a few days back, and were going back to Tamil Nadu this time in the Coromandel Express in search of work as farm labourers.

As the news of their deaths came, a pall of gloom descended on the village. Their wives fell unconscious as neighbours continued consoling them.

Haran's wife Anajita is a neurological patient, locals said, adding that her treatment was now in question. He is survived by two married daughters and a son who has recently started working at a local eatery.

Besides his wife, Nishikant is survived by a daughter and a son, both minors. Dibakar is survived by two sons and his wife.

"My father and uncles are no more, our family is devastated," said an inconsolable Avijit, the son of Haran.

Twelve people from the district have lost their lives in the crash, which happened on Friday evening, officials said.

A total of 110 people from the district were injured, 44 were missing and 16 have so far returned to their homes, they said.

Among those dead, six people are from Basanti block, including the three brothers, two from Kakdwip and one each from Joynagar-2, Baruipur, Canning-1 and Magrahat-1 blocks, they added.

While most of the victims from the district were migrant workers, the rest went to Bengaluru for treatment, officials said.

The accident in Balasore involving three trains -- Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train -- killed 288 people, in one of the worst railway tragedies in the country. -- PTI

United States President Joe Biden on Saturday said he is heartbroken by the tragic news of a train crash in India that has killed over 280 people. 

The crash in Odisha's Balasore district involving three trains is one of the worst rail accidents in India in nearly three decades. 

At least 288 people are dead and over 1,100 injured.

"(First Lady Dr) Jill (Biden) and I are heartbroken by the tragic news of the deadly train crash in India. Our prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones and the many who suffered injuries in this terrible incident," Biden said in a statement.

"The United States and India share deep bonds rooted in the ties of family and culture that unite our two nations and people all across America mourn alongside the people of India. As the recovery effort continues, we will hold the people of India in our thoughts," Biden said. -- PTI