At least 233 passengers perished and 900 sustained injuries when two passenger trains collided in Odisha state in India.
Indian Railway officials termed the accident the deadliest in the country in more than a decade.
The chief secretary of the Indian state said that the death toll from Friday’s accident is expected to rise.
Over 200 ambulances have reached the spot of the accident for the rescue operation, he said.
Video footage of the accident showed police officials shifting the dead bodies of passengers covered in white clothes off the railway tracks.
The collision between the two trains occurred at about 19:00 local time (1330 GMT) on Friday. Howrah Superfast Express, running from Bangalore to Howrah, West Bengal, collided with the Coromandel Express. This train runs from Kolkata to Chennai.
Authorities gave conflicting accounts on which train derailed first to become entangled with the other.
However, the Ministry of Railways has initiated an investigation into the incident.
Chief Secretary Jena said that a freight train caused the crash, but railway authorities did not confirm it.
Indian authorities have launched an extensive search-and-rescue operation, involving hundreds of fire department personnel and police officers along with sniffer dogs.
Hundreds of young people gathered outside a government hospital in Odisha to donate blood for the injured passengers.
More to follow……
