Odisha Train Accident: Mamata Banerjee Accuses Centre of Downplaying Death Toll

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee launched yet another scathing attack on the Centre and the Railway Ministry on Sunday, accusing them of downplaying the death toll in the recent train crash in Odisha.

Banerjee claimed that the number of fatalities is much higher than what is being reported, and she has a list showing that 61 individuals from West Bengal alone lost their lives in the tragic accident.

Additionally, she raised concerns about 182 people from Bengal who are still missing and questioned the accuracy of the “official” death toll.

These remarks from Banerjee followed a heated argument captured on camera between her and Union Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, regarding the number of casualties in the accident.

The Bengal CM further alleged that many injured passengers did not receive adequate medical treatment in Odisha due to the lack of well-equipped healthcare facilities.

The devastating triple train tragedy in Balasore, Odisha, resulted in the loss of at least 275 lives and left hundreds injured. This incident, one of the most catastrophic train accidents in Indian history, has ignited discussions about safety measures and the factors contributing to such disasters.

The accident occurred just before Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district, approximately 250 kilometres south of Kolkata and 170 kilometres north of Odisha’s Bhubaneswar. This region falls under the jurisdiction of the South Eastern Railway’s Kharagpur railway division.