Odisha train crash: ‘I survived but many died around me’on June 3, 2023 at 9:58 am

The train collision in India’s eastern Odisha (previously known as Orissa) state on Friday evening – the country’s worst this century – involved two passenger trains and a freight train.

Officials said several carriages from the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed in Balasore district, hit a stationary goods train and several of its coaches ended up on the opposite track.

Another train – the Howrah Superfast Express travelling from Yesvantpur to Howrah – then hit the overturned carriages.

The BBC spoke to villagers who witnessed the crash, and an injured passenger who was travelling in the Coromandel Express.

This article contains details that some readers may find disturbing.

The goods train was stationary on a different track. The Coromandel Express derailed and collided with the goods train.

There was chaos. The train coming from the other side was Howrah Super Fast Express. It hit the bogies of the Coromandel Express which had flipped over. Two of its coaches derailed. There was a loud sound and there was smoke all around.

It was chaotic and people were running in all directions. I was close to the tracks and decided to run to the spot. We started pulling out some of the trapped passengers. We managed to get some of the survivors out, and some bodies too.

There were so many injured, we did not know how to get them out. It became a bit easier after the rescue workers arrived. This work went on almost throughout the night. I am still in a daze.

My mother and my grandmother were on the train. They were going to the city to buy medicines.

I found my granny a few hours after the accident. She was alive. But my mother was missing. We looked for her everywhere but couldn’t find her.

I didn’t know what to do, so I forwarded a photo of my mother to all my friends and acquaintances. I shared her number as well and described the colour of the dress she was wearing when I last saw her.

This morning I heard from one of my friends. They sent me a picture of body – it was my mother. She was wearing the same dress.

All I want now is to be able to take her body back home safely so that we can put her to rest. But there is so much chaos here – there are no trains and the roads are all jammed. I hope an ambulance takes us home soon.

We heard a loud sound. When we came out of the house, we saw that this accident had happened outside. I saw the goods train had climbed over on another train.

When I reached the spot, I saw that many people injured, many people had died. A small child was crying whose parents had probably died. That child also died after a while.

Many people were asking for water here. I gave water to people as much as possible. People from our village came here and helped people as much as they could.

It was horrific.

I was in the train when we felt a slight jolt and the train derailed.

There was a thunderous sound and the train overturned. I was trapped and was rescued after half an hour by local people.

All our belongings were scattered outside. I couldn’t find any of it. I came out and sat on the ground. Four passengers who were travelling from my village have survived, but a lot of people are injured or still missing.

A lot of people died in the coach I was travelling in. Those who were seriously injured were brought to the hospital.

My brother was sitting on his berth and I was standing next to the door of the coach.

When the train overturned, I managed to escape. I thought my brother would’ve escaped too, but that did not happen. He got stuck under his seat.

I ran back to the wreckage and pulled him out – I pulled out a young girl who was stuck with him as well.

I called the police and the ambulance services but they took half-an-hour to get there.

Photos by Hemant Behara and additional reporting from Reuters news agency