Odisha tragedy: Viral video shows last moments inside train before horrific crash

Trigger warning: Some readers may find the details of this report disturbing. Discretion is advised.

Screams, screams, screams and scary darkness... the last moments inside of the train that met with terrible fate in the east Indian state of Odisha last week portray a painful picture of what people experienced. The video was shared on social media platforms.

India was left grieving after a shocking train accident killed at least 261 people in the nation's worst rail accident in over two decades. On Friday (June 2), a passenger train hit a parked freight train in the district of Balasore in Odisha.

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It was a three-way collision which occurred around 7:00 pm (local time), involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and a goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanagar in Odisha's Balasore district. The Howrah Superfast Express from Bengaluru to Howrah in West Bengal collided with the Coromandel Express from Kolkata to Chennai.

The video shared by local media claims to show the exact moment when Coromandel Express crashed with the other train. A member of the cleaning department can be seen mopping the floor in the first few seconds of the video, but after the impact, lights go out and people can be heard screaming.

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.

Watch the video here:

What exactly happened?

Indian authorities revealed after a preliminary probe that a malfunction with the signal system is suspected to have led to the accident. The driver of the Coromandel Express was routed to continue straight on the main line with a green signal, but the track diverted the train to the loop track.

The freight train, which was parked on the adjacent loop line, was loaded with iron ore — making it extremely heavy which put most of the impact on the Coromandel Express, whose engine climbed on the last coach of the freight train and a handful of other coaches toppled.

A couple of the coaches jumped the tracks and fell towards the right, hitting the last two coaches of the Howrah Express which had nearly crossed the site in the opposite direction.

The Indian government launched a probe into the matter and railways officials said that failure of the track management system was the main focus of investigations.

Railways officials and witnesses began submitting evidence to a two-day inquiry that opened on Monday in West Bengal state after the Railway Board recommended that the federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) take over the probe.

In the aftermath, railway police filed a case of criminal negligence, without identifying any suspects.

(With inputs from agencies)

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