Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): According to the Reuters news agency, a government official said on (Saturday, June 3, 2023) that this rail accident was the deadliest accident in more than a decade.
State Chief Minister Pradeep Jena said on Twitter that the death toll was expected to rise.
He added that more than 200 ambulances with 100 additional doctors have been sent to the accident site in Balasore district of Odisha.
The collision occurred on Friday around 7:00 pm local time when the Howrah Superfast train traveling from Bangalore to West Bengal collided with the Coromandel Express train traveling from Kolkata to Chennai.
Authorities have given conflicting reports, including that one train first derailed and then collided with the other.
The Indian Ministry of Railways has said it has launched an investigation into the incident.
Some media reports indicate that a freight train was also involved in this incident.