51 hours, 2,300 personnel: All about Balasore accident rescue
The triple train crash near Odisha's Balasore, which claimed the lives of 288 people and injured over 900 others, saw more than 2,300 personnel carry out an arduous rescue operation lasting for 51 hours. According to reports, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav reached the site within hours of the accident and tried to understand the technicalities of the accident.
Why does this story matter?
- The Chennai-bound Coromandel Express collided with a stationary goods train in a loop line (used for parking), per the Indian Railways.
- It was speeding through the station since it was not scheduled to stop there. However, instead of the main line, it entered the loop line, ramming into the goods train.
- Shortly after, the Howrah-bound train, running on an adjacent main line, also derailed.
Officials on every level were on their toes
Eight teams comprising 70 members were working on the ground while the railway's Senior Section Engineers (SSE) were monitoring two teams each. The SSEs were reporting to the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) and General Manager (GM). A member of the Railway Board was also supervising the developments. Apart from rescue operations, the railway officials were also focused on repairing the train tracks.
Senior officials were posted at hospitals
On the other side, the chairman of the Railway Board was at the hospital in Cuttack, overseeing the medical assistance being provided to the injured, while the Director General (DG) of Health Services was posted at the hospital in Bhubaneswar. Officials said they were instructed to focus not just on the rescue and relief operations but also monitor the treatment of passengers in hospitals.
Round-the-clock feed in headquarters to track developments
Additionally, four cameras were live-streaming the developments from the accident site, while officials in the war room of the Railway Ministry's headquarters in Delhi kept a watch over the ground situation round the clock. The railway line became functional by Sunday night. Notably, in 1999, Vaishnav handled the super cyclone crisis in Balasore when he was posted in the district as the collector.
