The worst accident in the history of Indian Railways
In the history of Indian Railways, Baleshwar in Odisha has witnessed one of the most tragic and terrible accidents. Bahanga railway station premises turned into a state of death when two passenger trains and a freight train collided. 295 people died in the accident till the evening of June 3, 2023. The number of injured is 650 people.
2 June 2023 Chennai-bound Kormandal Express hit a freight train standing on the field. 15 coaches of Kormandal were derailed and twisted. After a while, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express bound for Baleswar went over the Karmandal coaches scattered on the downline. Two coaches of this train also fell off the track. Immediately after that, bodies and bodies were scattered around. Some were crying for the loss of their relatives, some were in fear of seeing the horror of death. After the accident, the dead bodies were brought out from the overturned compartment of the train. In this situation, along with the railways, the army, air force and Odisha disaster response forces were deployed for rescue work.
How accidents happen
A railway authority press release cited the derailment of the Kormandal and Bangalore Superfast Express as the cause, along with a collision. Eyewitnesses said that first the Kormandal Express hit the back of a freight train running on the same line at high speed. Due to the severity of the accident, the engine of the Kormandal Express overturned the freight car. 15 of the 23 rooms spilled from the line onto adjacent downlines and platforms. The Bengaluru to Howrah down train fell on top of those derailed rooms. Two cars of the Howrah-bound train also deraile
India was once again shaken by the latest terrible train accident in Odisha. In the last 15 years there have been many accidents, big and small, but none were as terrible as the Karmandal Express. This is India’s biggest train accident. Below are the train accidents of the country in the last 15 years:
Dyaneshwari Express 2010 : A fatal accident occurred on 28 May 2010 between Khemaguli and Sardhia stations of South Eastern Railway where a few coaches derailed. Later the freight train moved through the carriages. At least 148 passengers died.
North Bengal Express and Bananchal Express 2010 : In 2010, India suffered another horrific accident. On July 19, Uttarbanga Express and Bananchal Express collided with each other at Saithia. As a result, 63 people were killed and more than 165 injured.
Chhapra-Mathura Express 2011: Chhapra-Mathura Express collided with a bus near Eta district of Uttar Pradesh on July 7, 2011. 69 people died and many were seriously injured in the accident.
Hubli-Bangalore Hampi Express 2012: Hubli-Bangalore Hampi Express collided with a freight train. The collision took place on 23 May 2012, in Andhra Pradesh. They died of injuries sustained in the accident. 43 people were injured and 25 passengers died in the accident.
Tamil Nadu Express 2012 : A coach of the Delhi-Chennai Express caught fire near Nolore on 30 July 2012. More than 30 people died as a result.
Gorakhdham Express 2014 : On 24 May 2014, Gorakhdham Express collided with a stopped freight train. The incident took place in Shambhu Kabir Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh. 25 people were killed and more than 50 injured in the clash.
Janata Express 2015: On March 25, 2015, a terrible accident took place in Janata Express. The accident took place on the way from Dehradun to Baranbas. As a result, more than 30 people were killed and 150 injured.
Patna-Indore Express 2016 : Patna-Indore Express derailed near Pukhrayan in Kanpur on 20 November 2016. As a result, at least 150 people died and more than 150 were injured.
Kalinga-Utkal Express 2017 : Kalinga-Utphal Express met with an accident near Khatuuli in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The accident happened on August 19, 2017. 14 coaches were derailed. 21 people were killed and 97 people were injured in this accident.
Kaifiyat Express 2017: Another accident occurred in 2017 near Idea in Uttar Pradesh. Where nine coaches of Kaifiyat Express derailed. Although no one died in the accident, the number of injured stood at 70.
Bikaner Guwahati Express 2022 : On June 13, 2022, 12 coaches of Bikaner Guhati Express derailed. It takes place in Alipurdwar, West Bengal. In this accident, 9 people were killed and 70 people were injured.
Railways has been focusing on passengers in the last few years. Efforts are underway to improve these routes. A device called ‘Kachav’ has also been installed in the trains to save the trains from collision.