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West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Sukanta Majumdar on Saturday said a party delegation will visit Odisha's Balasore where several coaches of a passenger train derailed after colliding with a goods carriage.
Speaking to ANI, the BJP's Bengal chief said the people of West Bengal stand by the bereaved families of the deceased in the accident. "We will visit the accident spot soon. We, the people of West Bengal, stand by the bereaved families of the victims from Bengal as well as other states," he said. He added that the party will provide all possible help in collaborating with the Railways and the state government. "We can't bring back the ones we have lost in this accident but will provide all possible help to the Railways as well as the state government. We will try to provide relief to as many distressed persons as possible," the BJP's Bengal chief added. Majumdar further said that this is an hour of grief and everyone should stand together and provide relief to those in need, adding that this was not the time for politics. "This is a time of grief. I believe everyone should stand together and provide relief to those families mourning their loved ones. This is not the time for politics," he added. West Bengal BJP general secretary Jyotirmay Singh labelled the accident as 'very unfortunate', saying that a party delegation accompanied by a state minister will be visiting the accident spot. "Whatever happened was very unfortunate. Our team led by Sukanta Majumdar and a state minister will be visiting the spot to survey the scene of the accident. We heard that the Railways have launched a probe into the incident. So, only a proper investigation can shed light on what happened and how. Many passengers have lost their lives and several are injured. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Singh said. Meanwhile, Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena on Saturday confirmed that the death toll in the train accident in Balasore has risen sharply to 207 and the number of injured passengers is now at 900. Confirming the sharp upward spiral in the death toll, the chief secretary said, "According to the latest report from Speculation Relief Commissioner, Odisha, the toll from the Balasore derailment has risen to 207 while the number of injured passengers is now at 900," Jena said. According to the officials, 3 NDRF, 4 ODRAF and 22 Fire Services personnel have been deployed for the rescue operations at the accident spot. Collectors, SP and officers of the district administrations of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendujhar have also been asked to supervise the rescue operation. Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, Development Commissioner-cum-ACS- Anu Garg, Principal Secretary, I&PR Department Sanjay Kumar Singh, MD, OSDMA Gyan Das are present in the Control room of SRC to monitor the rescue operation. Several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha's Balasore after hitting a goods train. According to Railway Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place at around 7 pm on Friday. "Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches," Sharma told ANI. (ANI)
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