Balasore train crash: 260 undergoing treatment; 123 trains cancelled, 56 diverted

Bhubaneswar: Altogether 260 people, who were injured in the triple train accident in Balasore, are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals across Odisha, while around 900 have been discharged so far, health department officials said on Sunday.
Three Union ministers – Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mansukh Mandaviya and Dharmendra Pradhan – visited the state-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where 202 injured people have been admitted, an official of the health facility said.
“Across the state, around 900 patients, out of 1,175 injured passengers in the train accident, have been discharged. A total of 260 injured are currently undergoing treatment in different hospitals, including private ones, in Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Soro and Jajpur.
“All are stable except one whose condition is stated to be critical,” an official of the health department said.
At least 202 people injured in the accident have been admitted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Dr Bhubananda Maharana, the emergency officer, said.
“So far 13 passengers have been discharged, while seven patients are in the ICU. The condition of the remaining patients is stable,” he said.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, visited wards of the state-run hospital and interacted with the patients who suffered injuries in the accident, Maharana said, adding that the ministers spoke to the doctors to enquire about the health condition of the victims.
Mandaviya said that doctors from three premier health facilities in New Delhi – AIIMS, Lady Hardinge Hospital and RML Hospital- have reached the state along with modern equipment and medicines for the treatment of the injured passengers.
Noting that over 100 patients need critical care, he said, “We had a detailed discussion, and a working plan has also been prepared.”.
Mandaviya visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar where the bodies of those who died in the train crash were kept.
He held a review meeting with senior doctors and officials of the health facility in the state capital.
He also visited the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar to know about the condition of the injured patients admitted there.
On their way to Bhubaneswar, Vaishnaw and Dharmendra also visited hospitals at Soro and Bhadrak and enquired about the treatment of the injured persons admitted to these facilities..
At least 275 people were killed in the triple train accident in Balasore.
Three trains— Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah super fast and a goods train — were involved in Friday’s crash, now being described as one of India’s worst train accidents.
The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2.
A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time.
Investigators are looking into possible human error, signal failure and other possible causes behind the three-train crash.
Meanwhile, The railways has cancelled 123 trains, diverted 56, short-terminated 10 and rescheduled 14 trains due to the accident.
These trains include those with journey commencing from June 3 to June 7.
The cancelled trains include Sealdah-Puri Duronto, Howrah-Chennai Mail, Kanyakumari-Howrah Express, Shalimar Express, Tirupati Weekly Superfast Express, SMVT-Bengaluru Superfast Express, Santraganchi AC Superfast, Purulia-Villupuram.
The diverted trains include Tambaram-New Tinsukhia Express, New Delhi-Puri Express, Purushottam Express and Digha to Visakhapatnam Superfast Express.
Trains that have been short-terminated include Falaknuma Express, Baghajatin Express, Balasore-Bhubaneshwar Express, and Jaleswar-Puri MEMU. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that normal train services are likely to be restored by Wednesday.
The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred around 7 PM on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.
Around 275 people were killed and around 1,175 injured in the accident.
PTI