Balasore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival at Bahanaga took stock of the situation at the train mishap site.
Modi arrived at the Bahanaga at around 3.45 PM on an M-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He is accompanied by his Principal Secretary PK Mishra.
On his arrival the PM was received by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and senior officials was taken to the mishap site which was around 100 metre away.
Modi was briefed about the situation at the accident site by Railways Minister Vaishnaw.
The Union Ministers accompanied the PM to the mangled bogies of the trains lying at the accident site.
The PM emphasized on a ‘Whole of Government’ approach to mitigate the monumental tragedy. Modi also spoke to the Cabinet Secretary and the Union Health Minister from the site and asked them to ensure that all kinds of help is provided to the injured and their families.
The Prime Minister said that special care must be taken to ensure that the bereaved families don’t face inconvenience and that those affected keep getting all the assistance they need.
Modi will be visiting the District Headquarters Hospital at Balasore where several of the injured persons have been admitted.
About 16 hours after the accident, which involved two Express trains — Coromandel and SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express — and a goods train, the rescue operation was announced to be complete on Saturday afternoon by the Railways, following which restoration work commenced.
