Train services through the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, Odisha, resumed on Sunday night, almost 51 hours after the horrific triple-train tragedy that claimed 275 lives. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw waved at the crew of a goods train and prayed for a safe journey.
The restoration of the tracks on both the up and down lines began on Sunday morning after the rescue missions ended.
#WATCH | Indian Railways has started running passenger trains on the tracks which were affected due to #TrainAccident in Odisha’s Balasore pic.twitter.com/E9NTCv1ieO
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2023
Vaishnaw, who has been camping in the area since the tragic accident, said the restoration work started soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out instructions.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his advice and instructions on the restoration of the railway tracks. The whole team (involved in the restoration work) laboured diligently and systematically to fix the damaged rails for the resumption of services," he told ANI.
The minister added that both lines were reconstructed and tested before services resumed. "Services on both tracks have been restored. Normal train services on both lines have now been restored, 51 hours after the accident," said Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The overhead electrification work has also started and till the overhead electric cables are repaired, only diesel locomotives can be run and it may take another three days before electric trains can ply.
One person gone missing
A guard working near the bridge has gone missing, and rescue officials are trying to trace him.
"After the bridge collapse, a person working as a guard with SP Singla Company is said to be missing. His body has not been recovered yet. Search by SDRF and NDRF," circle officer Parbatta, Bihar, Chandan Kumar was quoted by NDTV.
According to the Railways, over 1000 workers were pressed into service for the restoration of the damaged tracks. Over seven poclain machines, two accident relief trains and 3-4 railway and road cranes were deployed for the repair works.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the three-train crash on Friday was revised to 275 from 288 by the Odisha government after claiming that some bodies were counted twice earlier. However, over 187 bodies are yet to be identified and keeping them till the time they are claimed by the victims' kin is proving to be a challenge to the local administration.
While 110 bodies are being kept at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the remaining have been sent to Capital Hospital, Amri Hospital, Sum Hospital and some other private facilities.
Meanwhile, anxious relatives thronged the NOCCI Business Park to identify photos of passengers displayed by authorities.
