Odisha: Modi vows 'harshest punishment' as 288 killed and 900 injured in India train crash
The search for survivors has ended, with Indian PM Narendra Modi vowing that anyone responsible for Friday's deadly crash will be punished, ITV News' Rachel Younger reports
Over 280 people have been killed after two trains derailed in India on Friday, making it the country's most deadly rail crash this century.
Rescuers called off an intensive search on Saturday, as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi threatening the "harshest punishment" for those found "guilty" for the crash. Local officials said some 900 people were injured in the crash and taken to nearby hospitals where scores of volunteers arrived to donate blood, while at least 288 died.
The incident, which is now the subject of an investigation, happened in eastern India, about 220 kilometres southwest of Kolkata.
Nearly 500 police officers and 75 ambulances were called to the scene, according to Pradeep Jena, top bureaucrat of the Odisha state.
Passenger Vandana Kaleda said that inside the train during the derailment people were “falling on each other” as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks.
“As I stepped out of the washroom, suddenly the train tilted. I lost my balance. ... Everything went topsy turvy.
"People started falling on each other and I was shocked and could not understand what happened. My mind stopped working.”
She added that she felt lucky to survive.
Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson, said ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, causing debris from some of the mangled coaches to fall onto a nearby track. The debris was then hit by another train coming from the opposite direction.
The Press Trust of India news agency said the derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah, in West Bengal state, to Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state.
Mr Modi, who paid a visit to the crash site, said that he was "distressed" by the news, adding that his "thoughts are with the bereaved families".
He tweeted: "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."
Saturday has been declared a day of mourning in Odisha by the state’s chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, who arrived at the district to meet injured passengers.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also tweeted his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash.
Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India's railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.
In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India's history.
Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.
More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, travelling on 40,000 miles of track.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...