A special train from Balasore carrying about 700 passengers will reach MGR Central Railway Station in Chennai on Sunday, informed officials.
Gagandeep Singh Bedi, secretary to Tamil Nadu Health Department, said special arrangements were being made for the arriving passengers. Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Minister M Subramaniam will receive the victims at the station, the officer added.
“Persons who were in the Coromandel Express at the time of the derailment will arrive from Balasore to Chennai onboard a Special Train in a few minutes. They will be arriving at Chennai MGR Central Railway station. A TNDRF team, police personnel, and commandoes are ready to receive them at the railway station,” Bedi said.
He added that the Tamil Nadu Transport Department has allotted 10 buses and more than 10 ambulances are ready to take them to hospitals. Fastrack taxi company has deployed more than 50 vehicles free of cost for this purpose, he added.
The IAS officer added that a special Medical Team has also been placed at the railway station for the arriving passengers. “Six teams of multi-speciality doctors are here,” he said.
According to the officials, a total of 700 passengers will be reaching Chennai via a special train. Out of this 293 passengers are from Tamil Nadu, officials informed.
The official toll in the devastating train accident has been pegged at 288 so far, with 1,000 more sustaining injuries.
A report quoted officials as saying that a total of 1,175 injured passengers were admitted to various government and private hospitals. Of these, 793 have been discharged after treatment. Currently, 382 passengers are undergoing treatment in various government and private hospitals. The condition two of them is said to be critical, the report said.
The preliminary report on the tragedy said the three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district. As many as 17 coaches of these two passenger trains were derailed and severely damaged in the accident on Friday evening.
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the accident spot, accompanied by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“It’s a painful incident. We might not bring back the lives lost but we are with the families of the victims at this hour of grief. The government has taken very serious note of the incident and will leave no stone unturned in treating the injured passengers. An investigation has been ordered and those found guilty will not be spared,” PM Modi said.
This report is filed by ANI news service.
