Watch: Odisha train survivor describes being buried under 10-15 people, compares reservation coach to general bogie

A survivor of the Odisha train tragedy recounted the horror he faced on Friday when he was travelling on Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express. The train derailed at Bahanaga Bazar between the Balasore and Soro stations at around 7 pm.

The man in the video talks about how a reservation coach is like a general bogie in our country. He recounts that while he was asleep in his coach the accident occurred and when he woke up he was under a pile of at least 10-15 people. The man goes on to show his injuries that he sustained on his hand and his neck after being stuck under those many persons who were jolted by the impact of the accident.

The survivor recounts the real horror after he managed to get out of the train. "There were some people who did not have their legs or hands, some had their faces messed up due to the accident," he said.

watch video here:

Train entered loop line instead of main line

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the Coromandel Express train involved in a horrific rail tragedy in Odisha on Friday entered the loop line and crashed into a goods train parked there instead of the main line just ahead of the Bahanagar Bazar station, a source said.

The coaches of Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express capsized after crashing into the coaches of Coromandel Express that had scattered on the adjacent track.

While Coromandel Express was at a speed of 128 kmph, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was running at a speed of 116 kmph. The report has been submitted to the Railway Board, sources said.

The loop lines of the Indian Railways are constructed in a station area -- in this case, the Bahanagar Bazar station -- to accommodate more trains to ease out the operations. The loop lines are generally 750 metres in length to accommodate full-length goods train with multiple engines.

At least 261 people dead

The two trains were carrying around 2,000 passengers. At least 261 people have been killed in the accident and nearly 1,000 injured.

An eyewitness to the incident, Anubhav Das, also told PTI that local authorities and railway officials had initially indicated that the train he was travelling on -- Coromandel Express -- had rammed into the goods train.

However, none of these accounts was officially confirmed by the railways.

While a thorough probe is underway, none of the authorities has so far talked about any possibility of a sabotage.

The national transporter has initiated a high-level probe into the train crash in Odisha's Balasore, which will be headed by the commissioner of railway safety, South Eastern Circle, officials said.

(with PTI inputs)