As the death toll nears 300 in one of the deadliest train accidents in India, surviving passengers have recounted the horrifying moments from the three-train crash on Friday.
Two express passenger trains collided with a stationary freight train in India’s eastern state of Odisha in one of the country's worst rail accidents.
A dozen coaches of the Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, derailed after it collided with the Howrah Superfast Express, running from Bengaluru to Howrah, West Bengal, near Bahanaga railway station in the state’s Balasore district, Indian Railways said.
The freight train was on an adjoining track.
There were approximately 2,300 passengers travelling in the two passenger trains.
The accident occurred at about 7pm.
Suleiman Sheikh, 27, was travelling to Kerala, where he works as a labourer.
A father of two daughters aged three and six months, he boarded the train from Shalimar with a dozen fellow labourers.
He was occupying the lower berth of the Coromandel Express when suddenly he realised the train had picked up speed, just moments before it crashed.
"Suddenly, the train started overturning," Mr Sheikh told The National. "People started screaming. Some broke open the windows to escape. There were some women on the top berth who got crushed.
"It was harrowing. People were screaming and crying ... all I can remember is one of them saying - 'this is the end, we will all die'. Those words are stuck in my mind."
Mr Sheikh, returning to work after a month-long holiday, said he was fortunate to have been saved.
"I am still in shock. I can't stop thinking about those moments ... how the train picked up speed and suddenly it was all blank," he said.
He injured his back and his hand and is receiving treatment at Balasore district hospital with at least two dozen other victims.
Jamin, a resident of Kolkata’s Bhardwan area, was travelling to Chennai. He said the carriages were full when the accident took place.
“We were sitting and within two minutes the accident took place. There were a lot of people on the train. Those with reservations, waiting and confirmed tickets, everyone. The train was jampacked,” Jamin told The National.
“I can’t count how many decapitated bodies I saw and how many people without limbs were there. I passed out after witnessing the scenes and came out of the mangled train after an hour."
Jamin was travelling along with eight of his friends, two of whom were seriously injured.
He said he told his family after being admitted to the hospital and was planning to go home after losing all his belongings.
“I can’t go to Chennai as I have nothing left, my bag, mobile phone not even a shirt,” he said.
Hardan Prasad Gupta, who was going home to eastern Jharkhand state, said he was still feeling dizzy.
“It was horrifying. I have pain like my body has fractured," he said. "I have abrasions everywhere. It is painful. My head is spinning, I feel like fainting,”
“I somehow survived the crash but I saw the bodies strewn everywhere."
Mohammad Salim from Delhi was travelling to Chennai to join his office when the train crashed.
Mr Salim did not know what caused the crash.
“Some say that the train derailed, others say it collided with another train,” he said.
"There were three trains at the spot. Two passenger trains and a goods train.
“There were 100-120 people [in my carriage]. Some were dead, some had broken limbs. I was brought to the hospital in the night. I called my family and told them everything is fine.”
About 100 ambulances were sent to the scene. Buses were also used to take the injured to hospitals. Residents began donating blood for the injured early on Saturday.
"This is the third worst incident in the history. The coaches are in mangled and crushed condition so it is challenging to cut them carefully so we don’t hurt those who are alive." Atul Karwal, director general of the National Disaster Response Force, said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed grief and promised assistance, will visit the site on Saturday.
“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Mr Modi said on Twitter. “May the injured recover soon.”
Mr Modi said he had spoken to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and “all possible assistance” was being offered.
Mr Vaishnaw reached the site on Saturday morning and said an inquiry had been set up “to understand the root cause of the accident”.
He also announced compensation of one million rupees ($12,000) to the families of the dead, 200,000 rupees for those seriously hurt and 50,000 rupees for those with minor injuries.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
The years Ramadan fell in May
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Andor
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THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
