St Kitts and Nevis PM Terrance Drew expresses grief over devastating multi-train crash in India

Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: Dr Terrance Drew, the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, expressed his heartiest condolence and grief towards the families who lost their loved ones in the multi-train accident that occurred in the Odisha State of India on June 2, 2023. The devastating accident took the lives of around 300 people and left more than 1000 people critically injured.

Following the miserable accident, Prime Minister Drew extended a helping hand and assured that the government and people of the twin-island country are standing firm with the government and the people of India. PM Drew took his official social media handle to share his compassion and solicitude. He noted, “I am deeply heartbroken by the news of the horrific train crash that took place in Odisha, India, on Friday.”

While expressing his sorrow and distress, he wrote, “I extend my deepest condolences to the Government and People of India, particularly those who lost their loved ones. I am also keeping the injured and their families and friends in my thoughts and prayers.”

This horrifying incident was addressed by many international leaders, who assured to stand firmly with the country and its people during this tough time. On his part, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, expressed his deepest gratitude towards the leaders for their support.

“Deeply moved by the condolence messages from world leaders on the train mishap in Odisha. Their kind words will give strength to the bereaved families. Gratitude for their support,” PM Modi tweeted.

According to the reports by Indian media, the accident occurred between three trains of Indian Railways – goods train, Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express. The primary investigation stated that at the Bahanaga Bazaar station in the Balasore district of Odisha Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express took the wrong track instead of the main line.

This resulted in its collision with the goods train, which was stationed there. Coromandel Express was not having any stop at the station, because of which its velocity was very high. However, the collision derailed about 21 coaches, and three of them fell onto an adjacent track, the path track of the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express.

Due to a lack of signal and information about the accident, the Howrah Express, which was travelling at the same time, hit the trains. This clash derailed two rearmost coaches. The investigation into the accident has been carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), according to the railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, said reports. According to the latest update on the incident, the tracks have been restored and on June 5, 2023, IST Puri Vande Bharat passed through the triple train accident site after tracks restoration.