Mayawati condoles loss of lives in Odisha train accident, seeks high-level inquiry

BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday expressed sorrow at the loss of life in the train accident in Odisha and sought a time-bound high-level inquiry into the cause.

Three trains derailed one on top of another in a horrific sequence, killing at least 238 people and injuring more than 900 in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday.

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In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati expressed sadness at the loss of lives and hoped that the victims' kin would find the strength to overcome the sorrow.

"The Centre should take this horrific accident very seriously and conduct an immediate, high-level, time-bound inquiry into it and provide appropriate financial assistance to the families of all the deceased and arrange better treatment for the injured persons. This is the demand of the BSP," she said in another tweet.

Officials in Bhubaneswar said 200 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units, besides 1,200 personnel, are working at the accident site. The bodies are being taken to the hospitals in all kinds of vehicles, including tractors.

"The death toll in the Balasore train accident has risen to 238," Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena told reporters at the state secretariat in Bhubaneshwar.