At least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in a multi-railroad disaster in eastern India, a senior local official said on Friday (June 2). A passenger train, the Coromandel Express, and a freight convoy collided near Balasore, about 200 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha, said witnesses and a spokesman for the local government.

A second passenger train will also be involved in this tragedy, according to Pradeep Jena, a top representative of the State government, but the exact circumstances under which this happened are unknown.

“Our top priority now is rescuing (passengers) and treating the injured”, said Pradeep Jena. According to a Balasore police official, many of those injured were in serious condition. Many passengers can also get trapped under the carriages.

Air Force “mobilized”

“We hope the relief operation will continue at least until tomorrow morning. On our side, we have prepared all major public and private hospitals, from the accident site to the state capital, to treat the injured.”said SK Panda, a spokesman for state authorities.

he added it “75 ambulance” already sent to the scene than “many cars” has also been dispatched to transport injured passengers and survivors.

said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “suffer”. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said he would go to the disaster site, stressing that the air force was also deployed.