Dhaka Bureau: The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, India, has received reports of minor injuries to some Bangladeshi passengers in the horrific train accident in the country on Saturday.
A diplomat, on condition of anonymity, confirmed this information to UNB News. He said that the number of injured Bangladeshis is not yet known. A team of the High Commission is going to the scene to ascertain the details of the accident.
Two passenger trains derailed in India last night, killing more than 280 people. Hundreds more were trapped inside a dozen coaches in the country’s deadliest train accident in decades.
The accident, about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, caused chaos as people were rescued from the twisted wreckage. On the one hand, the rescuers are retrieving the trapped alive passengers and, on the other hand, the bodies of the dead.
According to Indian Railways, a passenger train named Kormandal Express was traveling from Shalimar near Howrah in West Bengal to Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Some of its coaches derailed, and another speeding passenger train on the adjacent line hit them. The second train was going from Bangalore to Howrah.
Local officials said that the passenger trains also collided with a standing freight train. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief and condolences in a tweet. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also expressed deep grief and sorrow over this incident.
Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena said in a tweet early on Saturday that at least 900 people were injured in the accident.
