Jakarta –

More than 230 people died in a train crash in East Odisha, India. It is suspected that one of the causes of the accident is the aging infrastructure of the Indian railway network.

Reported CNNOn Saturday (3/6/2023), Indian Secretary of State Pradeep Jena reported that a collision occurred on Friday between two passenger trains and a freight train in the town of Balasore, State from East Odisha.

Indian authorities later reported that the fatal collision happened after a passenger train collided with a derailed passenger train carriage and was thrown onto the opposite track. Both trains derailed.

Railway infrastructure in India

Railway infrastructure in India is dominated by aging conditions and poor maintenance. This condition is often one of the factors causing train accidents there.

According to a 2021 National Crime Records report, approximately 16,431 people died in nearly 18,000 rail accidents across the country. “The majority (67.7%) of train accident cases were reported (as) falling off a train/colliding with people on the track,” the report said.

Jena said the cause of the cataclysmic crash has yet to be determined. He also pointed out that currently his party is focusing on the ongoing rescue operations.

During this time, 233 people died and 900 others were injured. Jena said the death toll is expected to rise as teams carry out the massive rescue operation

The death toll in the Odisha accident exceeded that of one of the most publicized and deadliest train accidents in recent years, namely in 2016. At that time, more than 140 people died in following a train derailment in Uttar Pradesh. State.

India’s Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology also announced that his party will pay compensation of US$12,136 or 180.82 million rupees (exchange rate 14,900 rupees) to families whose members have died.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also said he would visit the crash site on Saturday morning to review the situation.

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