WATCH: Shocking Bahanaga train tragedy completes 2 years, know what took place on that ill-fated day
The tragic and shocking Bahanaga train tragedy completes 2 years, but the cries of the victims still remain fresh in the memories of people.
Balasore: Today is the second anniversary of the heart rendering Bahanga train tragedy that took place in Balasore district of Odisha. On this ill-fated day in 2023 around 7 o’clock in the evening came the shocking news of the Coromandel Express crash.
This is said to be the worst railway accident of the century. The accident took place between a goods train, Coromandel Express and Yashvantpur-Howrah Express this resulted in the loss of many lives. This train accident stunned the whole world.
Today marks the second anniversary of this shocking incident. The days have changed and so have the times, but the shocking and tragic events of that day have not been erased from anyone’s mind even today. 293 passengers died while more than 1100 were injured.
The Bahanaga train tragedy shook the whole world. As soon as the news spread, a crowd of people gathered near the railway line. Locals were trying to save the injured to the best of their ability. Rescue operations were carried out by local people and various volunteer organizations. As many as 50 doctors, 200 ambulances, 50 buses and 24 mobile health units were deployed. In addition to this, more than 1200 police personnel including Army, Air Force, Fire Department, Odraf Team, NDRF Team were involved in the rescue operation.
On the day of the Balasore train accident, the people of Balasore were engaged in the instant rescue operations. After rescuing people from the train carriages, help was provided on emergency basis. There was a long queue of people in the hospital to give blood to the injured till late night. The way the people of Balasore acted during the calamity set an example for the entire world.
The Bahanaga train tragedy was so terrible that it was difficult to identify the passengers who lost their lives. Most demanding was the process of identifying the bodies and handing them over to family members. For this, the Odisha government adopted several special arrangements such as DNA testing and so on.
The Prime Minister, Odisha Chief Minister, West Bengal Chief Minister and many other leaders visited the accident site repeatedly. The railway department announced an aid of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased. After the accident, many were handed over the dead bodies of their relatives. But still many of the dead were not been identified. The Government of Odisha preserved the bodies and conducted a mass cremation on October 11, 2023.
