Odisha train crash: 3 trains, one glitch, hundreds dead

As many as 250 people have died and more than a thousand have been injured, several of them fighting for their lives in various hospitals in Odisha, in the wake of the horrific three-train accident in Balasore district on Friday (June 2) evening.

Even since the news of the accident broke, various reports on the sequence of events have made the rounds, with initial ones saying that it was a collision between the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express and a goods train while others calling it a clash between two passenger trains.

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As the picture grew clearer, officials confirmed that the accident involved three trains – the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, the SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train which were on separate tracks near the Bahanaga Railway crossing.

Here’s a sequence of how the accident occurred:

The Coromandel Express on the way to Chennai from Shalimar left Balasore Railway Station at 6.50 pm on Friday (June 2).

It reached the Bahanaga Bazar Railway level crossing 10 minutes later.

The train was on Track No. 1 and was supposed to change side to Track No. 2 near the railway gate.

However, it couldn’t change track due to some technical glitch. As a result, it proceeded further on Track No. 1, hitting a stationary goods train standing on the same line.

Under the impact of the collision, 10-12 coaches of the Coromandel Express got derailed and fell over Track No. 3.

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The SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express coming from Bengaluru to Kolkata collided with the coaches of the Coromandel Express, leading to the derailment of at least five of its own coaches.