Some of India’s deadliest train accidents

A significant incident occurred in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday, resulting in the unfortunate loss of at least 280 lives and leaving over 900 individuals injured. The accident involved three trains: the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train.

As a consequence of the incident, multiple coaches of the 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah train, which was en route to Howrah, derailed at Bahanaga Baazar and toppled onto adjacent tracks.

As the tragic train accident in Odisha claims more lives, here is a compilation of some of the deadliest train accidents in India over the past few decades:

June 1981: During a cyclone, an overcrowded passenger train experienced a devastating accident, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 800 lives. Seven rear coaches of the train were blown off the track and plunged into a river.

July 1988: In southern India near Quilon, an express train met a tragic fate when it plunged into a lake swollen by monsoon rains. The incident, known as the Peruman railway accident, occurred on July 8, 1988, claiming the lives of at least 106 people. The train derailed on the Peruman bridge over Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala, causing ten carriages to fall into the water.

August 1995: Approximately 350 individuals lost their lives when two trains collided 200 km (125 miles) from Delhi. The catastrophic Firozabad rail disaster transpired on August 20, 1995, at 02:55 when a passenger train crashed into a stationary train after colliding with a nilgai.

August 1999: Near Calcutta, a collision between two trains resulted in the tragic deaths of at least 285 people. This accident occurred at the remote station of Gaisal in West Bengal due to a signaling error. The two trains, carrying approximately 2,500 passengers, collided as three out of the four tracks on the line were closed for maintenance.

October 2005: In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, a passenger train experienced a derailment near Velugonda, leading to the loss of at least 77 lives on October 29, 2005.

July 2011: Fatehpur witnessed a heartbreaking incident when a mail train derailed, causing the deaths of approximately 70 people and leaving over 300 injured. The Howrah-Kalka Mail derailed near Malwan on July 10, 2011, around 12:20. Reports indicated fire and sparks in the AC compartments of the train.

May 2012: The Hampi Express mishap occurred on May 22, 2012, as a cargo train collided with the Hubli-Bangalore Hampi Express near Andhra Pradesh. The collision resulted in nearly 25 fatalities and approximately 43 injuries due to the derailment of the train.

May 2014: In the Sant Kabir Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh, a collision between the Gorakhdham Express and a stationary goods train near Khalilabad station caused 25 fatalities and over 50 injuries on May 26, 2014.

November 2016: Tragedy struck in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh when an express train derailed, leading to the deaths of 146 people and leaving over 200 injured. On November 20, 2016, the Indore–Patna Express 19321 derailed near Pukhrayan, Kanpur, with approximately fourteen carriages involved in the derailment.

January 2017: In southern Andhra Pradesh, at least 41 individuals lost their lives when several coaches of a passenger train derailed. The unfortunate incident occurred on January 21, 2017, near the village of Kuneru in Vizianagaram as the Hirakhand Express 18448, traveling from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar, derailed.

August 2017: The Utkal Express, running from Puri to Haridwar, derailed in Muzaffarnagar, resulting in the deaths of 23 people and injuring nearly 60 others on August 19. Around 5:45 pm, 14 out of the 23 coaches of the train derailed near Khatauli in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh