New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a high level meeting to take stock of the situation arising out of the Coromondel train accident, in which nearly 300 passengers have lost their lives and has left nearly 900 people seriously injured. The train crash is the fourth deadliest in India according to available records.

“PM Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to take stock of the situation in the wake of the train mishap in Odisha. Aspects relating to rescue, relief and medical attention to those affected were discussed in the review meeting,” tweeted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), adding that Prime Minister Modi is leaving for Odisha where he will review the situation in the wake of the train mishap.”

About 300 people have been killed and more than 900 injured in the horrific three-train collision in Odisha's Balasore about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. Several coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, on the way to Howrah, derailed and fell on adjacent tracks. The derailed coaches collided with the 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express around 7 pm on Friday.

A goods train was also involved in the accident as some of the coaches of the Coromandel Express, which was heading to Chennai, hit its wagons after getting derailed. Railway tracks have almost been destroyed at the spot as mangled coaches lay strewn all over.

Officials in Bhubaneswar said that 200 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units were working at the accident site, besides 1,200 personnel. The bodies were being taken to the hospitals in all kinds of vehicles, including tractors. Gas cutters were used to extricate the bodies from under the derailed coaches. Disaster management personnel and firemen were busy at work trying to extricate bodies as dawn broke on this tiny way station on the east coast railway line.

In a statement, the Railways Ministry said that authorities have rushed to the spot to coordinate rescue and relief operations. The entire focus of Railways is to rescue the passengers and minimize casualties. Rescue operations are being carried out at war footing scale. NDRF team, Medical team, Ambulances are at the accident site, said the Ministry.

The inquiry into the train accident will be led by A M Chowdhary, Commissioner Railway Safety, South East Circle, the Indian Railways said in a statement. The Commissioner Railway Safety comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. /BI/