Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit the train accident site in Balasore in neighbouring Odisha on Saturday, a senior official said.
Banerjee, the official said, had a conversation with her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik over the telephone in connection with the accident on Friday night.
The Bengal CM monitored the situation almost the entire night from her Kalighat residence and expressed her shock over the tragic incident where three trains derailed one on top of another in a horrific sequence, killing at least 233 people and injuring more than 900 in Odisha’s Balasore district.
“She is quite worried and will be flying to Balasore today to take stock of the situation. She has also spoken to Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in this regard. She was in touch with the team which she sent to Balasore last night,” the bureaucrat told PTI.
The Bengal CM has assured all sorts of assistance to the Odisha government in dealing with rescue work, and treatment of those injured.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
A team comprising West Bengal minister Manas Bhuniya, Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen and a few officials have already reached the train accident site late Friday night.
The West Bengal government has opened an emergency control room and activated two numbers 033- 22143526/ 22535185 from Friday night.
Also read | In Manipur, politicians have turned hopes of peace into cacophony of hatred