India train crash: More than 280 dead after Odisha incident

At least 288 people were killed and 850 injured in a multiple train crash in India's eastern state of Orissa, officials said.

 Orissa chief secretary Pradeep Jena said more than 200 ambulances were dispatched to the crash site in Balasore district.

 A passenger train derailed and is believed to have collided with another train on an adjacent track late Friday. 

 This is India's worst train accident of the century. Officials expect the death toll to continue rising.

 Indian Railways said the two services involved were Coromandel Express and Howrah Superfast Express.

 Orissa Fire Department Chief Sudhansh Sarangi said the death toll had risen to 288. Jena previously said more than 100 additional doctors had been mobilized.

 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the incident and said his thoughts were with his family. 

 "Rescue operations are underway at the accident site and all assistance is being provided to the victims," ​​he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah called the incident "extremely worrying". 

 ``When the accident happened, 10 to 15 people fell on me and everything was in chaos. ``I was at the bottom of the mountain.

'' I injured my hand and neck.” As I got off the train trolley, I saw that someone had lost a hand and someone had lost a leg.

 Someone's face was distorted," a survivor told the Indian news agency ANI. States have declared a day of remembrance.

 Several carriages of the Shalimar Chennai Coromandel Express derailed around 19:00 local time (13:30 Japan time) and some are believed to have fallen onto the wrong track.

 Another train, the Howrah Super Express, which was running from Jesvantpur to Howrah, is said to have collided with an overturned wagon.

 Indian officials said a freight train parked at the scene was also involved in the incident 

. He declined to provide details. Some of the surviving passengers rushed to help rescue the people trapped in the wreck. Local bus companies also helped transport injured passengers. 

 India has the world's largest rail network and despite successive governments investing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements, accidents are a daily occurrence, says Ambarathan Etilajan, BBC South Asia regional editor.

 To tell. India's worst railway accident occurred in his 1981, when a full passenger train was thrown off the tracks into a river during a cyclone in Bihar, killing at least 800 people.

At least 288 human beings are now acknowledged to have been killed and 850 injured in a more than one instruct collision in India's jap Odisha state, officers say.

More than 200 ambulances had been despatched to the scene in Balasore district, says Odisha's chief secretary Pradeep Jena.

One passenger educate is idea to have derailed earlier than being struck with the aid of any other on the adjoining tune late on Friday.

It is India's worst instruct crash this century. Officials say the demise toll is predicted to upward jostle further.

Indian Railways stated the two offerings worried have been the Coromandel Express and the Howrah Superfast Express.

Sudhanshu Sarangi, director regularly occurring of Odisha Fire Services, stated that the loss of life toll stood at 288.

Mr Jena stated before that extra than a hundred extra medical doctors had been mobilised.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated he used to be distressed by using the incident and his ideas have been with the bereaved families.

"Rescue ops are below way at the website online of the mishap and all viable help is being given to these affected," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah labelled the incident "deeply agonising".

One male survivor stated that "10 to 15 human beings fell on me when the accident took place and the whole thing went haywire. I used to be at the backside of the pile.

"I acquired damage in my hand and additionally the again of my neck. When I got here out of the instruct bogie, I noticed anybody had misplaced their hand, any one had misplaced their leg, whilst a persons' face was once distorted," the survivor instructed India's ANI information agency.

A day of mourning has been introduced in the state.

It is believed that quite a few carriages from the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed at about 19:00 neighborhood time (13:30 GMT), with some of them ending up on the contrary track.

Another educate - the Howrah Superfast Express journeying from Yesvantpur to Howrah - is then idea to have hit the overturned carriages.

Indian officers stated that a items teach - which was once stationary at the website - was additionally worried in the incident. They furnished no similarly details.

Some surviving passengers have been considered speeding in to assist rescue these trapped in the wreckage.

Local bus organizations have been additionally assisting to transport wounded passengers.

India has one of the biggest teach networks in the world and accidents are common, in spite of successive governments investing lots of tens of millions of greenbacks to enhance the infrastructure, says BBC South Asia regional editor Anbarasan Ethirajan.

India's worst educate catastrophe used to be in 1981, when an overcrowded passenger instruct was once blown off the tracks and into a river in the course of a cyclone in Bihar state, killing at least 800 people.