Coromandel Express accident: Special train carrying stranded passengers to reach Chennai on Sunday

CHENNAI: The railways is running a special train from Bhadrak to Chennai carrying around 250 passengers who were stranded after Coromandel Express and Bengaluru-Howrah Express trains derailed and hit a goods train at Bahanaga in Odisha on Friday.

The train started from Bhadrak on Saturday and will reach Dr MGR Chennai Central tentatively at 9 am on June 4.

Some of these passengers have no injuries. Some others suffered minor injuries. Medical teams from the Railways and state health department would do basic tests and refer patients requiring treatment to state-run hospitals, health secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said.

At least 40 ICU beds and casualty units in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital have been kept ready. Beds have also been kept ready in Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Government Medical College Hospital and Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital. Specialists including orthopedicians, surgeons and anaesthetists were asked to be ready to attend to emergencies, he said.

The health department would send doctors, nurses, ambulances and mobile units along with essential medicines and equipment to Odisha, he said. "The department is coordinating with national agencies to take a count of human resources and medicines required for rescue operations," he said.


Special train to Odisha

Also, the railways will run a special train (No 02840) from Chennai for the benefit of the kin of victims of the train mishap in Odisha. It will depart from Dr MGR Chennai Central for Bhadrak around 7.20pm on Saturday.

Relatives of the victims may contact the following helpline numbers to register for the journey to Odisha.

Central helpdesk at commercial control: 044-25354771. 044-25330952 & 044-25330953Mob Number 90030619742) Chennai Central: 044 25354148 & 044 253307143) Katpadi station: 94986519274) Jolarpet station: 77080 61811

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin visited the Chennai Central, where the officials have set up a help desk to facilitate the passengers and their relatives. He also visited the control centre set up at the disaster rescue office in Ezhilagam.

Chennai city police have kept their resources ready and standby at the Chennai Central Railway Station and Chennai airport to support other departments. The city police have formed 10 special teams.

City police commissioner Shankar Jiwal said, "We have instructed our men to respond and extend their support to transport, railway and disaster rescue units."