PM Shehbaz, FM grieved over loss of lives in India train accident

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the horrific train accident in the Indian state of Odisha yesterday night.

Three trains collided with each other in an accident that is one of the deadliest in India’s history.

As many as 288 people died and more than 900 sustained injuries in the deadly accident. Odisha has declared state mourning in respect of the dead.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a tweet: “Deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives in a train accident in India. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Prayers for speedy recovery of the injured.”

https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1664916726750887936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw  

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he was saddened after learning about the terrible incident.

“Saddened to learn of the high death toll in the tragic train accident in Odisha, India. Our condolences for the families of the victims. Wish speedy recovery to the injured. #BalasoreTrainAccident,” Bilawal tweeted.

https://twitter.com/BBhuttoZardari/status/1664904353054900224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw  

The disaster began when an express train running north from India’s tech hub Bengaluru to Kolkata derailed, falling onto the adjacent southbound track.

Minutes later, the Coromandel Express heading from Kolkata to Chennai smashed into the wreckage, some of its coaches also colliding with a goods train parked nearby.

India has one of the world’s largest rail networks and has seen several disasters over the years, the worst of them in 1981 when a train derailed while crossing a bridge in Bihar and plunged into the river below, killing between 800 and 1,000 people.

Friday’s crash ranks as its third worst, and the deadliest since 1995, when two express trains collided in Firozabad, near Agra, killing more than 300 people.