Cuttack (Odisha) [India], June 4 : Taking stock of medical assistance being provided to the injured victims in the Balasore's triple train tragedy, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday said that the government of India, the Health Ministry and the officials of the state government are working together for the better treatment of the injured.
Speaking with ANI, Mandaviya said, "Several people have been injured. Patients are undergoing treatment in 5-6 hospitals in the state. Several patients are in need of special treatment".
"Under such a situation, the Government of India, the Health Ministry, Officials of the state government, and everyone together.. to seek better treatment for the injured...a meeting was called today," the health minister added.
He added that a special team of doctors equipped with medicines had already flown from New Delhi to Odisha.
"One more team from Nagpur AIIMS will also reach out on Sunday late evening," Mandaviya added.
The Balasore train accident where two passenger trains and a goods carriage were involved claimed 275 lives so far while over 1,000 people sustained injuries.
The three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and a goods trains on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in the Balasore district.
Earlier today, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the tragic train accident in Odisha's Balasore occurred due to a "change in electronic interlocking".
Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in improper sequence. The aim of this system is that no train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is proven safe.
Earlier in the day, Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw & Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met the injured at Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack.
Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Secy Pradeep Jena clarified that the death toll is 275 and not 288, it was checked and found that some bodies were counted twice.
"The death toll is 275 and not 288. The data was checked by DM and it was found that some bodies have been counted twice, so the death toll has been revised to 275. Out of 275, 88 bodies have been identified," Jena told ANI.
"Out of 1,175 injured, 793 have been discharged after treatment. The figure will be updated around 2 pm," he added.
As per the Ministry of Railways, the restoration work is going in full swing and the officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site.
A manpower of over 1000 people is engaged in the work. More than seven Poclain Machines, two Accident Relief Trains, and 3-4 Railway and Road Cranes are deployed, the Ministry stated.
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