Drone footage shows shocking scale of India train crash

More than 280 people died and nearly a thousand were injured when two passenger trains derailed in the eastern state of Odisha on Friday

tmg.video.placeholder.alt Fx1cLAP6TFs

Those responsible for India’s deadliest train crash in decades “will be punished stringently,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as he fought criticism of his government in the wake of the disaster.

“It’s a painful incident. Government will leave no stone unturned for the treatment of those injured... Instructions [have been] issued for [a] probe from every angle,” he said.

More than 280 people died and nearly a thousand were injured when two passenger trains derailed in the eastern state of Odisha on Friday night.

Mr Modi’s government has made transport a priority and has spent billions on improving the railway system in recent years, including safety - but Friday’s crash is believed to be the deadliest in more than 20 years.

Mr Modi was supposed to spend Saturday inaugurating a high-speed train connecting Goa and Mumbai that is equipped with a collision avoidance system.

Mr Modi at the crash scene
Mr Modi at the crash scene Credit: UNPIXS

Instead, the president flew to the crash site, where the anti-collision system is not yet installed, and later went to local hospitals to meet some of the injured as his Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw faced calls to resign. The disaster comes less than a year before a general election.

Daylight on Saturday morning revealed the full scale of the devastation.

A drone shot of rescuers work at the site of passenger trains accident
A drone shot shows the scale of the destruction Credit: Arabinda Mahapatra
A group of emergency responders are seen through the smashed window of a railway carriage
Responders worked through the night at the site of the crash Credit: PIYAL ADHIKARY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

At least 10 carriages could be seen scattered along a destroyed section of track, some lying on their sides, others stacked on top of each other.

According to local media reports, the two trains collided with such force that carriages were thrown into the air, twisting before smashing back to the ground. A third train then crashed into the derailed carriages.

An aerial photo shows multiple carriages completely derailed, some on their sides, and some perched on top of each other
The epicentre of the crash site Credit: REUTERS

Images broadcast on local television showed long lines of bodies laid out under white sheets and locals said the sound of ambulance sirens had wailed throughout the night.

The drone footage also shows large crowds of locals helping at the scene. Many people turned up at local hospitals to donate blood, according to local media.

More than 280 people have died and nearly a thousand injured
More than 280 people have died and nearly a thousand injured Credit: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR

Officials said a total of 1,200 rescuers worked through the night with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units. Indian Air Force helicopters were also deployed to the scene to help evacuate injured passengers.

Rescue workers search for survivors
Rescue workers search for survivors Credit: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR

Rescuers were able to pull dozens of survivors from the wreckage in the first part of the rescue operation using metal cutters, canine squads and heavy lifting equipment. But by 10pm on Friday, it had become a case of recovering bodies, officials say. The operation ended on Saturday.

“The rescue operation has been completed and restoration work has started. We will thoroughly investigate this incident and will ensure such incidents don’t happen in future,” said Mr Vaishnaw, the railways minister.

While it is not clear what caused the crash, initial reports suggest it could have been a signalling failure.

Saturday was declared a day of mourning in Odisha.

License this content