Disaster
India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in one of nation’s worst rail disasters
BALASORE, India (AP) — Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, officials said Saturday.
Chaotic scenes erupted on Friday night as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches.
The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. Scores of bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the tracks while locals and rescuers raced to free the hundreds of people trapped in the rail cars under the twisted metal and broken glass. Army soldiers and air force helicopters joined the effort in Odisha state.
An Associated Press photographer saw bodies still entangled in a badly mangled coach, as rescuers struggled to retrieve them working under the oppressive heat with temperatures reaching up to 35 degree Celsius (96 degrees Fahrenheit).
“By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha state’s fire and emergency department, told The Associated Press. “This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career.”
At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, he said. About 900 people were injured and the cause was under investigation.
The accident occurred at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focussing on the modernization of the British colonial-era railroad network in India, which has become the world’s most populous country with 1.42 billion. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.
Modi flew to the crash site and spent half an hour examining the relief effort and talking to rescue officials. He was seen giving instructions on the phone to officials in New Delhi.
He later visited a hospital where he walked around inquiring from doctors about the treatment being given to the injured, and spoke to some of them, moving from bed to bed in a ward.
Modi told reporters that it was a sad moment and he was feeling the pain of those who have suffered in the accident. He said the government would do its utmost to help them and strictly punish those found responsible.
Modi on Saturday was supposed to inaugurate a high-speed train connecting Goa and Mumbai that is equipped with a collision avoidance system. The event was canceled after Friday’s accident. The trains that derailed did not have that system.
Amitabh Sharma, a Railroad Ministry spokesperson, said the rescue work was near completion. Rail authorities will start removing the wreckage to repair the track and resume train operations, he said.
D.B. Shinde, a district administrator, said only five to six bodies remained trapped under a damaged coach and were difficult to recover.
“We have deployed a heavy crane. Once we take them out, the rescue work will be over,” Shinde said.
About 200 of the severely injured people were transferred to specialty hospitals in other cities in Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state’s top administrative official. Another 200 were discharged after receiving medical care and the rest were being treated in local hospitals, he added. Scores of people also showed up to donate blood.
“The challenge now is identifying the bodies. Wherever the relatives are able to provide evidence, the bodies are handed over after autopsies. If not identified, maybe we have to go for a DNA test and other protocols,” he said.
Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, according to Sharma. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, causing up to three coaches of the second train to also derail, he added.
A third train carrying freight was also involved, the Press Trust of India reported, but there was no immediate confirmation of that from railroad authorities. PTI said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train.
The rescue operation was slowed because two train cars were pressed together by the impact of the accident, Jena said.
Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night. Saturday was declared as a day of mourning in Odisha.
Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks.
“The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying.
Passenger Vandana Kaleda said that people were falling on each other as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks.
“As I stepped out of the washroom, suddenly the train tilted. I lost my balance. … Everything went topsy turvy. People started falling on each other and I was shocked and could not understand what happened. My mind stopped working,” she said.
Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces.
The collision involved two trains, the Coromandel Express traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai in Tamil Nadu state and the Howrah Superfast Express traveling from Bengaluru in Karnataka to Howrah, officials said. It was not immediately clear which derailed first.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s railway minister, said a high-level probe would be carried out. The political opposition criticized the government and called for Vaishnaw to resign.
In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India.
In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.
Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.
More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.
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Sharma and Pathi reported from New Delhi. Associated Press journalist Chonchui Ngashangva in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Quick Hit:
A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s eastern coast Tuesday, prompting widespread tsunami alerts across the Pacific. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned waves could impact Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. West Coast, and parts of Canada and Japan. Emergency officials urged residents to move to higher ground immediately where advised.
Key Details:
- The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed tsunami waves of over 9 feet are possible along the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Russia’s eastern shores. Waves between 3 to 9 feet are also possible in Hawaii, Guam, and parts of Japan.
- Hawaii could begin seeing waves around 7:17 p.m. local time Tuesday (1 a.m. ET), while the West Coast threat is still being evaluated. Projected wave arrival times include 11:40 p.m. PT in Washington and Oregon, 12:40 a.m. PT in San Francisco, and 1:05 a.m. PT in Los Angeles.
- U.S. tsunami watches include connected inland waters such as San Francisco Bay, the Columbia River coastline, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Japan also issued tsunami warnings for multiple eastern regions, with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo urging immediate evacuation.
Diving Deeper:
One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded shook the Pacific Rim Tuesday evening, registering a magnitude of 8.8 off Russia’s far eastern coastline. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) quickly issued alerts for wide swaths of the Pacific, warning of potentially life-threatening waves.
“A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii,” the PTWC said, warning residents that “urgent action could be taken to protect lives and property.”
Initial assessments indicated that tsunami waves could exceed 9 feet above normal tide levels in parts of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and coastal Russia. Elsewhere, waves as high as 3 to 9 feet could strike regions across Hawaii, Japan, and Guam. According to the PTWC, the first waves were expected to reach Hawaii by 7:17 p.m. local time Tuesday (1 a.m. ET Wednesday).
On the U.S. mainland, officials are monitoring the threat along the entire West Coast, including Alaska. Preliminary estimates suggest that tsunami activity could reach coastal Washington and Oregon around 11:40 p.m. PT, San Francisco around 12:40 a.m. PT, and Los Angeles by 1:05 a.m. PT. Tsunami watches were extended to include key inland waterways connected to the Pacific, such as the Columbia River coast and San Francisco Bay.
The danger zone stretches across the Pacific, including Japan, where officials issued multiple warnings. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo posted on X, “A #tsunami warning is currently in effect for the Eastern Pacific Coast of #Hokkaido and #Tohoku region, #Kanto region, Izu & Ogasawara Islands, Tokai region, and Wakayama Prefecture. Tsunami waves may arrive imminently—evacuate immediately to higher ground.”
Authorities in the U.S., Canada, and throughout the Pacific continue to monitor the developing situation, with the PTWC promising further updates as additional data becomes available.
Quick Hit:
Flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas has left at least 43 people dead—including 15 children—after a wall of water tore through camps and neighborhoods along the Guadalupe River. Among the victims were young girls attending a Christian summer camp, as families grieve and recovery efforts intensify.
Key Details:
- Officials confirmed Saturday that 43 people have died—28 adults and 15 children—following early Friday morning floods in Kerr County. Seventeen victims remain unidentified.
- Four young girls who died—ages 8 and 9—were attending Camp Mystic, a nearly 100-year-old Christian summer camp for girls. Dozens of campers were briefly unaccounted for.
- The camp’s director, Dick Eastland, was among the dead after reportedly racing to a cabin in an effort to save girls trapped in rising waters. Another local camp director also died.
Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock.
We will not stop until everyone is accounted for. pic.twitter.com/tqwTr1RkEi
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 4, 2025
Diving Deeper:
Texas is reeling from one of the deadliest flash floods in recent memory, with at least 43 confirmed dead—including 15 children—after floodwaters surged through Kerr County early Friday morning. Officials said 12 adults and five children have yet to be identified.
Much of the devastation centered around the historic Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls situated along the Guadalupe River, where dozens of campers were swept up in the flood. Family members have since confirmed that four of the victims—8-year-olds Renee Smajstrla and Sarah Marsh, and 9-year-olds Janie Hunt and Lila Bonner—had been attending the camp.
Renee’s uncle reportedly wrote on Facebook that she was “living her best life at Camp Mystic.” Sarah’s family shared that the Alabama girl was “a spunky ray of light,” while Lila’s relatives described their pain as “unimaginable.”
The camp’s longtime director, Dick Eastland, died heroically while trying to rescue girls from a cabin as waters rushed through the grounds. Another director, Jane Ragsdale of the nearby Heart O’ the Hills Camp, was also killed. Though her camp wasn’t in session, she was on the property when the flood struck.
Camp Mystic, which serves hundreds of girls each summer, was left in ruins. “The camp was completely destroyed,” said 13-year-old Elinor Lester, who was among those rescued. Photos show cabins torn open, trees ripped from the ground, and bunk beds submerged nearly to the top by river water.
As many as 27 girls at the camp were swept up by the flooding, but several have since been reunited with their families. Ashley Flack, whose daughter attended Mystic, said Saturday, “There are lots of families missing, children and friends… Our daughter is safe. Our son is safe. The operation to get the girl camp out did a good job.”
Rescue missions pulled at least 858 people to safety, and eight were reported injured. Officials noted that while other nearby camps were also impacted, those campers have been accounted for and are awaiting evacuation as crews work to repair damaged roads.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott expanded a disaster declaration on Saturday to include 21 counties. More than 1,000 state personnel and 800 vehicles are assisting in rescue and recovery, while FEMA, the Texas National Guard, and Coast Guard aircraft have been deployed to aid in the search.
President Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday, saying: “Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”
Forecasters say more rain could fall over the next 48 hours, raising the risk of additional flooding across Central Texas. The Guadalupe River last saw similar tragedy in 1987, when 10 teenagers died after a church bus was swept away.
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