In Balasore, Odisha, on June 2, 2023, two passenger trains collided, death toll reaches 288. More than 900 people are injured and several are lost. The collision occurred between the Coromandel Express and the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express.
A total of 10-12 coaches of Coromandel Express derailed and fell on the adjacent track in the path of another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah near Balasore in Odisha at around 7 p.m.
As per reports, this accident was held near the Bhangera Railway Station, and a goods train was involved in it. Several teams of the NDRF are deployed to safely evacuate injured passengers from the scene of the accident. This Balasore train accident is the biggest in recent years.
Prime Minister Modi has said that he is keeping a close eye on this matter. Also, the government of India has announced various helpline numbers for the people who are affected by the accident.
All the political leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah, and others, have reacted to this uncertain news whereas people from the sports fraternity, Bollywood, and all around the world have sent their condolences to the people who lost their lives.
10 Deadly Train Accidents in India History
Also, this is not the first incident that has happened and caused hundreds of deaths; even before that, several train accidents accidents in India like balasore have happened.
In the past train accident, the Firozabad Train Accident, the Gaisal Train Accident were very deadly. So, here’s the list of the 10 worst train accidents in India history.
1. Bihar Rail Accident (1981)
On June 6, 1981, India witnessed the deadliest and world’s biggest train accident that happened in Bihar, where around 800 people lost their lives. This incident happened when nine bogies of an overcrowded train derailed and fell into the Bhagmati River.
The train was leaving Manasi for Saharsa, and even today, the authorities can’t quote the exact number of people who lost their lives. As per records, the incident happened due to a cyclone in Balaghat, Bihar.
2. Peruman Railway Accident (1988)
The Peuman Railway accident happened on July 8, 1988, and around 105 people lost their lives. This unfortunate incident happened when a train derailed on the Peruman bridge over Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala, India, and fell into the water.
During its journey from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram Central, Train Number 26 Island Express’ ten bogie carriages derailed and crashed into a lake. Only the engine, the delivery van, and a second-class compartment had passed the bridge when the catastrophe happened, out of the 14 coaches. Nine coaches plunged into the water, two of which were upside down.
3. Firozabad Train Accident (1995)
On August 20, 1995, at roughly 2:55 a.m., a passenger train collided with another train that had stopped after hitting a Nilgai, resulting in the Firozabad Train Accident, which killed 358 people. But some sources claim that more than 400 deaths have been reported.
The first train, the Kalindi Express from Kanpur, collided with a nilgai and sustained brake damage, making it unable to continue. The Purushottam Express, traveling from Puri, then struck it from behind at a speed of 70 km/h. The engine and the front two carriages of the Purushottam Express were derailed, but three carriages of the Kalindi Express were completely wrecked.
4. Khanna Train Accident (1998)
The Khanna Train Accident occurred on November 26, 1998, in the Khanna-Ludhiyana section at around 3:15 a.m. This incident happened when Calcutta bound Jammu Tawi-Seldah Express collided with the Amritsar-bound Frontier Mail which was lying on its path.
The trains were carrying almost 2500 passengers and among them, several passengers got severely injured and around 212 people lost their lives to this tragic accident.
5. Gaisal Train Accident (1999)
The deadly Gaisal Train Accident occurred on August 2, 1999, when two trains carrying almost 2500 passengers collided with each other near Gaisal in West Bengal. This incident led to the death of 268 people and more than 350 people were severely injured.
The accident happened when the Avadh Assam Express from New Delhi collided with the Brahmaputra mail. As per reports, this deadly incident happened due to a manual error of the signal failing.
6. Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express Accident (2002)
The deadly Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express Accident occurred on September 9, 2002, resulting death of more than 140 people. This was another incident that happened due to a manual fault, Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express derailed near Rafiganj station between Gaya and Dehri-on-Sone stations, at 10:40 p.m.
The track on which the high-speed train was running was considered weak and it was from the British era. Heavy rain caused the crack in the track which was the reason behind the derailment of a train that was running at a speed of 100 km/h.
7. Kalka Mail Accident (2011)
The Kalka Mail Accident happened on July 10, 2011, and it caused the death of around 70 people and more than 200 people were injured. This incident occurred due to the sudden use of the Emergency brake due to which the derailed from the track.
The accident occurred at 12:20 when the 15 coaches of Howrah-Kalka Mail derailed near Malwan. The train had left Howrah and was heading toward Kalka when the incident happened. As per various reports, there was a fault in the rail track that derailed the Delhi-bound Howrah-Kalka Mail on 10 July, where 70 people were killed.
8. Pukhrayan Train Accident (2016)
At least 150 people died and more than 150 were injured when the Indore-Patna Express 19321, a scheduled train from Indore to Patna, derailed at Pukhrayan in Kanpur, India, on November 20, 2016. The incident is India’s deadliest train accident since 1999.
9. Kalinga Express Accident (2017)
On August 19, 2017, the Kalinga Utkal Express train derailed close to Khatauli in the Uttar Pradesh, India, district of Muzaffarnagar, leaving 23 persons dead and 156 others injured. This incident was the third in Uttar Pradesh and the fourth significant derailment of a passenger train in 2017.
The Haridwar-bound train drove along the track that was being repaired without being alerted in advance, which led to the accident.
10. Bikaner-Guwahati Express Accident (2022)
A Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derailed on January 13, 2022, not far from Domohani, Maynaguri, and the Jalpaiguri area of West Bengal. 50 people were hurt, and 9 individuals died. Since the Seemanchal Express derailed in Bihar in February 2019, this is India’s first significant train derailment in 2022.
FAQs related to Train Accidents in India
A. Odisha Train Accident 2023 happened due to a collision between the Coromandel Express and the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express.
A. More than 280 people lost their lives in Balasore Train Accident 2023.
A. more than 900 people got injured during Odisha Train Accident 2023.
A. Ashwini Vaishnaw is the present Railway Minister of India.
A. In Bihar Rail Disaster around 800 people lost their lives.
A. The top 5 Train accidents in India include Bihar Train Disaster, Peruman Railway Accident, Firozabad Train Accident, Khanna Train Accident, and Odisha Train Accident.
A. India is among the top countries which are affected by the worst Train Accidents every year.