"Till now over Rs 15 cr compensated to affected families in Odisha train accident": South Eastern Railway official
Balasore: A total of Rs 15.6 crore have been provided as compensation to the families, whose kin have been affected in the triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore, an official of South Eastern Railway said on Tuesday.
"Over 531 people, 303 people with simple injuries, 109 people with grievous injuries and 119 people who died, have been compensated amounting to around Rs 15.6 crores. Those families who have lost their members and who want to get compensation...I appeal to them to contact our helpdesks in Cuttack, Midnapore, Bhubaneswar and Balasore," Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO, South Eastern Railway told ANI. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that 31 passengers from her state who were on board the Coromandel Express are still missing after the triple train accident which killed over 270 people.
Banerjee was on a visit to Odisha to meet injured persons currently admitted in different hospitals in Cuttack.
"Odisha and West Bengal governments are working together. They are providing free treatment. A total of 103 bodies belonging to West Bengal have been identified and 97 people are under treatment and 31 are missing," Banerjee told reporters here.
The triple train accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha's Balasore district on June 2. The devastating incident left over 1000 people injured.
Demanding a probe into the horrific accident, she said, "So many people have died, the truth must come out."
The Bengal Chief Minister also visited the eye and surgery department of SCB Medical College and Hospital and interacted with the patients.
A day after the incident, Banerjee, on Saturday reached the accident site in Balasore to take stock of rescue operations and questioned why the Centre's, anti-collision system, 'Kavach' was missing from the track of the collision.
Notably, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case into the matter.
In the statement, CBI said, "On the request of the Ministry of Railways, consent of the Odisha Government and further orders from DoPT(Govt. of India) relating to the train accident involving Coromandel Express, Yashwantpur-Howrah Express and a Goods train at Bahanaga Bazar in the State of Odisha on June 2, 2023."
"CBI has taken over the investigation of the case earlier registered at Balasore GRPS, District Cuttack (Odisha) vide GRPS Case No.64 dated June 3 regarding the said accident," the statement further said.
The tragic train accident killed 278 people and injured nearly 1,100 in what was the worst accident suffered by the public transporter since 1995. (ANI)
