PM Modi visits site of train tragedy that killed at least 288 and injured at least 1,000
- Narendra Modi said ‘no one responsible’ for the train crash would be spared. A possible signal error may have led to the tragedy, according to an initial report
- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent messages to Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Modi, expressing ‘deep condolences’ to the affected families
At least 288 people were killed and 1,000 more injured in a horrific three-train collision in India, officials said on Saturday. It was the country’s deadliest rail accident in more than 20 years.
“It’s a sad moment,” Modi told state broadcaster Doordarshan. “I pray that we get out of this sad moment as soon as possible.”
One train in Friday’s accident also hit a goods train parked nearby in the district of Balasore in Odisha state, leaving a tangled mess of smashed railcars and injuring 1,000.
Debris was piled high at the crash site near Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha, where some carriages had been tossed far from the tracks and others flipped over entirely.
Smashed train compartments were torn open in the impact late on Friday, leaving the wreckage stained with blood.
A possible signal error led to the tragedy, according to an initial government report seen by Reuters.