World leaders express grief over Odisha train accident

The death toll in the train accident in Odisha’s Balasore on Friday evening has risen to 288. More than 900 passengers are injured. Nation presidents from all over the world have expressed grief over this accident. The Prime Minister of Pakistan has expressed grief and wished for the speedy recovery of the people.

At the same time, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appealed to Canadians to support Indians in this difficult time. He said that the pictures of the accident coming from Odisha are heart breaking. My prayers are with those who have lost their family members in the accident.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed grief over the accident. Zelensky tagged PM Modi in the tweet and wrote – We can understand your grief. I hope that the injured people get well soon.

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
Expressing grief over the accident, Putin has sent a message to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi. He spoke of standing with India in its hour of grief. Also expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of Britain
Sunak has described the accident in Odisha as painful. He said- I pray for the victims. Those who are working non-stop to save people deserve praise.

Saba Korosi, UNGA Chief
United Nations General Assembly i.e. UNGA head Saba Korosi also expressed grief over the accident. In his tweet, he wrote that he is saddened to hear the news of the accident.

Tsai Ing Wen, President of Taiwan
Sai has said to seek blessings for the victims of the Odisha accident. He wrote on Twitter – I hope that the people trapped in the rescue operation will be rescued soon.

Eric Grassiti, US Ambassador to India
I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the train accident. We are with India in its hour of grief.

Penny Wong, Australian Foreign Minister
We are with India in difficult times. With the security teams who are working to help the injured.

Ali Sabri, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka
Ali Sabri tweeted- ‘Deeply saddened’ to know about the train accident in Odisha. We wish a speedy recovery to all those affected in the accident.

Train accident happened around 7 o’clock
Train No. 12864 Bengaluru – Howrah Superfast Express departed from Yesvantpur station in Bengaluru at 7:30 am on June 1. It was to reach Howrah on June 2 at around 8 pm. It reached Bhadrak at 06:30, with a delay of 3.30 hours from its scheduled time. The next station was Balasore, where the train was scheduled to reach at 7:52, with a delay of 4 hours.

Whereas, train number 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express left Howrah at 3:20 pm on June 2 itself. It reaches Chennai Central at 4:50 pm on 3 June. It reached Balasore on time at 6:37 PM. The next station was Bhadrak where the train was to reach at 7:40. But, at around 7 o’clock both the trains passed face to face near Bahanaga Bazar station, that’s when the accident happened.