A 12-member medical team with specialisation in trauma care and multiple ambulances is rushing to Odisha’s Balasore where several people are killed after several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel express train derailed near Bahanaga railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday evening, state government sources said.
“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to send this team of medical practitioners in view of apprehension that quite a few number passengers travelling by the train might be domiciles of the state considering that the train started from Shalimar station in West Bengal. The ambulances are being sent to bring back some injured passengers who are domiciles of West Bengal back to Kolkata provided their existing conditions permit,” said a senior official from the state secretariat.
Some hearse carriers are also being sent by the state government to spot in case certain bodies need to be rushed back to West Bengal immediately. Meanwhile, the six- member team from the state government led by state minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia and party MP Dola Sen have already started for the accident spot on Friday night only. They are expected to reach the spot of the accident in another couple of hours.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi are in constant touch with the officials of the Odisha government. The state government’s own control room is already made operational to address the queries of the anxious relatives of those travelling by that train.
Meanwhile the office of the South Eastern Railways in Kolkata has issued a press statement saying accident relief trains with medical equipment and doctors have also rushed to the site from Kharagpur in West Bengal and Bhadrak in Odisha.
“Additional General Manager, South Eastern Railway along with other Principal Head of the Departments already left for the site. The following Help Line Numbers have been opened at Stations:- Howrah: 033-26382217, Kharagpur: 8972073925 & 9332392339, Balasore: 8249591559 & 7978418322, Shalimar: 9903370746, Santragachi: 8109289460 & 8340649469, Bhadrak: 7894099579 & 9337116373, Jajpur Keonjhar Road: 9676974398, Cuttack: 8455889917, Bhubaneswar: 06742534027 and Khurda Road: 6370108046 & 06742492245,” the press statement said.
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