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10 images of the devastation following a 3-train crash in India that killed nearly 300 passengers

10 images of the devastation following a 3-train crash in India that killed nearly 300 passengers

Isobel van Hagen

This screen grab made from AFPTV video footage taken on June 3, 2023 shows people gathering at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha.JAYANTA SHAW / Getty Images

Nearly 300 people were killed in one of the deadliest train crashes in decades in India on Friday.
A train in Odisha derailed onto an adjacent track, struck by an oncoming train.

Nearly 300 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the Balasore district on Friday in one of the deadliest train crashes in India's recent history. Here are some of the first images of the horrific incident.

A large rescue operation was underway on Friday and Saturday.

People gather at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore on June 3, 2023. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

After a passenger train in India's eastern Odisha state derailed and was struck by another oncoming train on an adjacent train track — which also hit a stationary freight train close by, according to BBC News.

As of Saturday, at least 280 people died, and about 900 people were injured in the tragedy, according to Indian officials.

Rescue workers search for survivors at a three-train collision accident site near Balasore. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

The derailment occurred on Friday evening in the Balasore district, eastern India

Medical workers stand in front of the bodies of victims killed in an accident after a three-train collision near Balasore, about 125 miles from the state capital Bhubaneswar, on June 3, 2023. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

Hundreds of emergency personnel arrived on the scene, breaking open doors and smashing train windows in their rescue mission, the Associated Press reported.

The cause of the crash is not immediately apparent. Officials told reporters that a "high-level inquiry" has been ordered.

This frame grab taken from an AFPTV video footage on June 3, 2023, shows injured survivors receiving treatment at the Bhadrak District Hospital after a horrific three-train collision that took place near Balasore. STR/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

"The force with which the trains collided has resulted in several coaches being crushed and mangled," Atul Karwal, chief of India's National Disaster Response Force, told local news, per the BBC.

Survivors of the crash recounted horror stories of the experience as family members searched for their loved ones in the wreckage.

Damaged carriages are seen at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

"Some 10 to 15 people fell over me," a survivor of the crash told an Indian news channel. "I injured my hand and neck. When I got out of the train, I saw limbs scattered all around, a leg here, a hand there. Someone's face was disfigured."

Local people in the area heard the screech of brakes and then the horrible sounds of the trains crashing, The Guardian reported.

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim along the tracks at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

"There were loud shrieks and blood all over," a local shopkeeper who ran to the tracks after hearing the noise told the Hindustan Times, "I saw several bodies trapped under the upturned coaches," per The Guardian.

Indian army soldiers and air force helicopters joined the effort to find and help survivors.

Military personnel searches for survivors amid the wreckage at the accident site. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the grieving families on Twitter, saying he was "distressed" by the accident.

People offer prayers for the victims and survivors of the three-train collision near Balasore in the eastern state of Odisha at the Kabir Ashram in Ahmedabad on June 3, 2023. SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images

Prime Minister of India Narendra Mod visited the sight of the crash, as well as those recovering in the hospital.

Rescuers said they had found no more survivors on the scene on Saturday and that the rescue efforts were nearly completed.

Rescue teams and onlookers gather next to wreckage at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

Rail officials will now begin clearing the wreckage and debris to restore the track and continue train operations, Amitabh Sharma, a Railroad Ministry spokesperson, said.

Rescue workers stand near a damaged carriage at the accident site. DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images