3rd June, 2023
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent a message of commiseration to the government and people of the Republic of India over a multiple train crash in the country which killed over 280 passengers.
The fatal crash involving two passenger trains and a goods train in the Indian city of Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha, occurred on Friday.
Aside those killed, over 900 others were injured in what was one of the worst rail crashes in recent history.
President Tinubu, in a statement Saturday morning, described the train accident as heartrending, while consoling the Indian government and families of the victims.
“My heart goes to the families of those affected in the unfortunate and heartrending train crash in the Indian state of Odisha.
“We stand with India in brotherhood at this difficult time. The magnitude of the crash and the high casualty figure call for global support for India to adequately respond to this calamitous accident.
“I send my deepest sympathy and condolences to His Excellency Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the people of India and the families of those trapped in the crash,” the president said.
More details on the train crash
The crash happened in eastern India on Friday.
It was the country’s worst rail disaster in two decades, killing more than 280 people.
It renewed questions about rail safety in a country that has invested heavily in the system in recent years after a long history of deadly crashes.
How it happened
Officials said a passenger train derailed and struck two other trains in the Balasore district of Odisha state.
The state’s chief secretary, Pradeep Jena, confirmed that over 280 people had been killed in the crash, and 900 more injured. With rescue efforts still underway, the toll is likely to rise.
The crash occurred when several cars of a train derailed and hit a second one, the train’s operator, South Eastern Railway, said in a statement.
Local officials said that a third train, carrying freight, was ultimately involved, but details of this were not yet clear.
One of the trains involved was a Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express train, according to South Eastern Railway.
The Coromandel Express service has been known for connecting the biggest cities on India’s east coast at relatively high speed. The other train involved was a Yeswantpur–Howrah Superfast Express train, running from a commuter hub in Bangalore to the eastern state of West Bengal, near Kolkata.