Around 40 passengers on board the ill-fated Coromandel Express are believed to have died of electrocution as they had no visible injury marks, according to the Government Railway Police (GRP). An FIR lodged at the Government Railway Police Station in Balasore stated that live overhead wires snapped during the accident, entangled with a few coaches, and electrocuted the passengers trapped in them. The death toll in the triple train accident has risen to 278 after three passengers succumbed to their injuries after being hospitalized.
Triple Train Accident: Details and Cause of Death
The triple train accident occurred near Bahanaga railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday night. The trains involved were the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express, and a freight train. The collision happened after the Coromandel Express derailed, causing the coaches to topple over and the overhead wires to snap. The passengers who came in contact with the low tension (LT) line were fatally electrocuted.
Compensation for Victims
In the aftermath of the triple train accident, 531 people have been compensated so far, amounting to around Rs 15.6 crores (approximately 1.56 billion rupees). Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO of South Eastern Railway, stated that families who have lost their members and wish to receive compensation should contact the helpdesks in Cuttack, Midnapore, Bhubaneswar, and Balasore.
The railways announced a financial compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for the grievously injured, and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Additionally, the Railways announced that even ticketless passengers on the two passenger trains involved in the accident will be compensated.
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