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☆ Most children in South Asia are exposed to extreme high temperatures, UNICEF says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Nearly half a billion children in South Asia are exposed to extreme high temperatures as life-threatening heat waves caused by the climate crisis become stronger and more frequent, according to the United Nations’ children’s agency. The analysis showed 76% of children in South Asia were exposed to extreme high temperature compared to 32% globally, UNICEF said. Not only is there high potential for record extreme heat, the impacts are compounded by dire social and economic problems. At the same time, extreme weather has had a deadly impact in other parts of the region. In its report, UNICEF warned that ultimately children, adolescents and women are among those who pay the highest price for extreme weather events.

Persons: ”, Sanjay Wijesekera, Sudipta Das, Shahid Saeed Mirza, “ Young, ” Wijesekera Organizations: CNN, United Nations ’, UNICEF, South, Mashal, Getty, stillbirths Locations: South Asia, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sindh, Farah Province, Xinhua, New Delhi, Kolkata, Multan, AFP

☆ Indian lenders’ earnings get credit reality check
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A man checks his mobile phones in front of State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Kolkata, India, February 9, 2018. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File PhotoMUMBAI, Aug 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A near three-fold jump in net profit did little to cheer State Bank of India (SBI.NS) investors. April to June is seasonally weak for farm credit, and Khara said some delinquent accounts have already bounced back. Granted, overall delinquencies remain low: gross non-performing assets are just 2.76% of SBI’s portfolio, and less than half that at HDFC Bank. The fear is, as one executive told Breakingviews, that this is worsening as pandemic-era support schemes wind down and interest rates rise.

Persons: Dinesh Khara, Khara, Breakingviews, Shritama Bose, headwinds, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: State Bank of India, REUTERS, Reuters, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Services, Twitter, Adidas, InBev, Thomson Locations: Kolkata, India, MUMBAI

☆ State Bank of India first-quarter profit nearly triples to all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man checks his mobile phones in front of State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Kolkata, India, February 9, 2018. Net profit was at a record 168.84 billion rupees ($2.04 billion) for the quarter ended June 30, compared with 60.68 billion rupees a year earlier. Rivals HDFC Bank (HDBK.NS) and ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) have reported double-digit net interest income growth for the fiscal first quarter. The net NPA ratio rose to 0.71% from 0.67% in the prior three months. The bank expects its net NPA ratio to fall to 0.5% in the next few quarters, Khara said.

Persons: Chowdhuri, Dinesh Kumar Khara, Khara, SBI's, Siddhi Nayak, Sonia Cheema Organizations: State Bank of India, REUTERS, Rivals HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Reserve Bank of India, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: Kolkata, India, MUMBAI, BENGALURU

☆ Apple reportedly considers raising the price of its new iPhone Pros
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Apple is considering raising the price of its high-end iPhone Pros when new models come out this fall, according to Bloomberg. Since 2019, Apple has sold a high-end iPhone Pro that starts in the U.S. at $999 and a Max model with a bigger screen for at least $1099. Now, Apple's newest high-end models could reportedly receive a price increase that would boost Apple's overall revenue by increasing the average selling price of a new iPhone. The new iPhone models could have a USB-C charger, instead of a proprietary Lightning charger, after new European regulations passed last year. The new Pro models could come with a titanium case and thinner bezels, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Persons: Ming, Chi Kuo, Sidney Ho Organizations: Apple, Bloomberg, Deutsche Bank Locations: Kolkata, U.S

☆ Indian women set fire to house of suspect as Manipur sex assault case triggers outrage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Protestors hold placards as they attend a protest against the alleged sexual assault of two tribal women in the eastern state of Manipur, in New Delhi, India, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI, July 21 (Reuters) - Women in India's northeastern state of Manipur attacked the house of the main suspect in a sexual assault case that has enraged the nation, police said on Friday. The sexual assault took place over two months ago but it captured national attention after a short video went viral on social media earlier this week. The main suspect, a resident of violence-hit Manipur state, was arrested on Thursday hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the alleged sexual assault as "shameful" and promised tough action. The sexual assault was reported by the victims in May after ethnic clashes began in Manipur.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Narendra Modi, Hemant Pandey, Radhika Burman, Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rupam Jain, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Thomson Locations: Manipur, New Delhi, India, DELHI, Imphal, Kolkata

REUTERS/Jorge SilvaBANGKOK/NEW DELHI, July 17 (Reuters) - Indian tourists are streaming into Southeast Asia, cementing the world most populous country's position as a key growth market for a travel and tourism sector that is feeling the pinch of China's slower-than-expected re-opening. "Southeast Asia is obviously very well positioned for a lot of the growth that is inevitably going to come from India," aviation analyst Brendan Sobie told an industry conference last month. Tanes Petsuwan, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said 1.6 million Indians were expected to visit the kingdom this year. Indians are helping to sustain a post-pandemic rebound for hospitality chains, including Minor Hotels, which has 45 properties in Southeast Asia with more than 6,000 rooms. Thailand's central bank expects 29 million visitors this year and 35.5 million in 2024.

Persons: Jorge Silva, Brendan Sobie, Tanes Petsuwan, Chai Eamsiri, Chai, Vinay Malhotra, IndiGo's, Sobie, Dillip, Pratyush Tripathy, That's, Somsong Sachaphimukh, Somsong, Pasit, Stefanno Sulaiman, Neil Jerome Morales, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Jorge Silva BANGKOK, Thai Airways, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Reuters, Asian Development Bank, Tourism Authority, IndiGo, Airbus, Minor, Bank of, Tourism Council of, Thomson Locations: India, Thailand, Patong, Phuket, DELHI, Asia, China, Thai, Singapore, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kolkata, Pattaya, Europe, United States, Thailand's, Bank of Thailand, Tourism Council of Thailand, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, MANILA

☆ India's tomato prices surge over 300%, sparking theft and turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tomato prices surged 366.86% from 26.76 rupees per kg at the start of the year to 108.92 rupees per kg as of July 11. India is facing a tomato crisis as prices have skyrocketed more than 300% due to extreme weather conditions. Tomato prices surged 341% year-to-date, from 24.68 rupees per kg to 108.92 rupees per kg as of July 11, data from the Department of Consumer Affairs showed. "Due to excess rainfall in these states, tomato [crops have] been highly affected… A large part of the tomato crop has been destroyed due to rains and flood," the council stated. Another popular Indian dish, the Andhra Tomato Kura (tomato curry) is also widely enjoyed by locals.

Persons: Damien Yeo Organizations: Department of Consumer Affairs, National, BMI, Fitch Solutions Locations: Kolkata, India, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka

CNN —Indian authorities have arrested three railway officials as part of an investigation into one of the deadliest train crashes in the country’s history. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in a statement that they had arrested three Department of Railways officials on Friday. The move follows the deaths of at least 275 people in a three-way crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train in eastern Odisha state on June 2. The railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has previously said the accident had occurred “due to a change in electronic interlocking” and that an investigation would show “who was responsible” for that. According to senior railway officials, the crash took place when the Coromandel Express, a high-speed train traveling from Kolkata to Chennai, was diverted onto a loop line and slammed into a heavy goods train idled at Bahanaga Bazar railway station.

Persons: ”, Narenda Modi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jaya Varma Sinha, Naveen Patnaik, Modi, Modi’s Organizations: CNN, Central Bureau of Investigation, of Railways, Indian, Howrah Locations: Odisha, Kolkata, Chennai, Bahanaga Bazar, Bangalore

☆ A $12 phone is opening doors for rural India to get on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

All that could change with a new $12 phone from Reliance Jio this week. India is already the world's second-largest smartphone market and is likely to add 300 million new internet users, making it the fastest country to provide internet services to those who remain unconnected, Mishra said. "However, screen size can limit the experience a bit, but still good for first-time internet users." Reliance Jio has rolled out 5G services in 406 cities in India. Additionally, Singh highlighted that Reliance Jio hopes first-time internet users who purchase the Jio Bharat will eventually upgrade to more advanced phones down the road.

Persons: Mukherjee, Akash Ambani, Jio Bharat, Varun Mishra, Mishra, Navkendar Singh, Singh, Jio, Bharat, There's, Nikhil Batra, Batra, Research's Mishra Organizations: International Data Corporation, Afp, Getty, Reliance, Reliance Industries, Counterpoint Research, CNBC, Vodafone, Aditya Birla Group, Vodafone Group —, BSNL, IDC, Nurphoto, Macquarie Research, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Macquarie, Jio, Airtel Locations: India, Jio, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bihar, Jammu, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh

☆ Without climate change, these extreme weather events would not have happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

People often want to know if an extreme weather event happened because of climate change, said Friederike Otto, climate scientist and co-lead of the World Weather Attribution initiative. And, more often than not, they are finding the clear fingerprints of climate change on extreme weather events. “We’re always going to have extreme weather, but if we keep driving in this direction, we’re gonna have a lot of extreme weather,” said Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesSiberian heat wave, 2020In 2020, a prolonged, unprecedented heat wave seared one of the coldest places on Earth, triggering widespread wildfires. A study from the journal Nature Climate Change found the period from 2000 to 2021 was the driest the West has ever been in 1,200 years, noting human-caused climate change made the megadrought 72% worse.

Persons: Friederike Otto, Otto, We’re, we’re, ”, Ted Scambos, Alexander Nemenov, Andrew Ciavarella, Kathryn Elsesser, San Salvador de la, Aitor De Iturria, ” Otto, Mamunur Rahman Malik, “, Fadel Senna, Debarchan Chatterjee, Saeed Khan, koalas, David Paul Morris, Lake Powell, Hurricane Ian, Ricardo Arduengo, Ian, Lawrence, Abdul Majeed, António Guterres Organizations: CNN, University of Colorado -, Getty, UK’s Met, Oregon Convention, Northern, World Health Organization, South Asia, Bloomberg, Western, Stony Brook University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ., UN Locations: University of Colorado - Boulder, Siberia, AFP, Oregon, Portland, Pacific, . Oregon, Washington, Canada, British Columbia, Canadian, Lytton, San Salvador de, Cercs, Catalonia, Spain, North America, Europe, China, Dahably, Wajir County, Kenya, Africa, Horn of Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Masseoud, Morocco, Portugal, Algeria, Kolkata, India, South Asia, South, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Bangladesh, Thailand, New South Wales, Australia, Oroville, Oroville , California, States, California, Lake Oroville, Lake Mead, Lake, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, Hurricane, Matlacha , Florida, Caribbean, Florida, Swat, Bahrain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Sindh, Balochistan

☆ How India’s deadly train accident affected poorest passengers the most
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

On the Howrah they were the farthest from the engine, and were hit by the derailed Coromandel Express carriages. Graphic shows the sequence of coaches behind the engine on the Coromandel Express and Howrah Superfast Express. On the Coromandel Express, the engine is closely followed by non-air conditioned coaches, including three unreserved coaches. Deaths and injuries in Indian railway accidents Graphic shows the number of deaths and injuries in Indian railway accidents annually since 2001. Drone footage shows aftermath of train crash in the Indian state of Odisha Drone footage shows aftermath of train crash in the Indian state of Odisha | ReutersThe site of the accident is rural.

Persons: Bahanaga, Sandeep Mathur, Long, Narendra Modi Organizations: Coromandel, Reuters, Indian Railways, Commission of Railway Safety, Railways, CRS, Superfast Express, Express, Railway Ministry Locations: Chennai, Odisha, Balasore, Indian, Kolkata, Bengaluru, India, Coromandel, Howrah, Bihar, Odisha’s Balasore

Indian and international media have previously reported that a possible malfunction in the automated signalling system may have led to the crash. However, details of the frequent malfunctions at the nearby rail-road barrier and its possible connection to a manual bypass of the signalling system are reported by Reuters for the first time. A spokesman for Indian Railways said "repair works keep happening as per requirements" but tampering with the automated system is not allowed. "(Indian) Railways believes the system was tampered with," said the second source, who has access to briefings on the investigation. The Indian Railways spokesman did not directly address the authorisation issue and only said it is not allowed under Indian Railways rules.

Persons: Amitabh Sharma, Sharma, Soubhagya Ranjan Sarangi, Narendra Modi's, Jaya Varma Sinha, Sinha, Sandeep Mathur, Mathur, Sudhanshu Mishra, Krishn Kaushik, Jatindra, Sarita Chaganti Singh, YP Rajesh, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Railways, Reuters, of Railway Safety, CRS, Railway Board, Railways Ministry, Indian Railways, police’s Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI, Coromandel Express, Express, YP, Thomson Locations: India, DELHI, Bahanaga Bazar, Balasore, Odisha, Bahanaga, Niranjan, Chennai, Kolkata, New Delhi

☆ India cabinet approves $11 bln revival plan for state-owned BSNL
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Rama Venkat | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A man speaks on his mobile phone as he walks past a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) advertisement painted on a wall outside its office in Kolkata, India, August 24, 2017. REUTERS/Rupak De ChowdhuriBENGALURU, June 7 (Reuters) - India's cabinet on Wednesday approved an 890.47 billion rupee ($10.79 billion) revival package for loss-making Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to help the state-owned telecom operator deploy 4G and 5G services in a market dominated by private players. "With this revival package, BSNL will emerge as a stable telecom service provider focused on providing connectivity to remotest parts of India," the cabinet said in a statement. Debt-laden BSNL, grappling with poor infrastructure, has been posting losses for the past 12 years. The losses narrowed to 69.82 billion rupees in the year ended March 2022 from 74.41 billion rupees a year ago.

Persons: Vivekanand Subbaraman, Sakshi Dayal, Rama Venkat, Krishna N, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Nigam Ltd, REUTERS, Sanchar Nigam Ltd, BSNL, Tata Consultancy Services, 5G, Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Das, Thomson Locations: Kolkata, India, Chowdhuri BENGALURU, New Delhi, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasBALASORE, India, June 7 (Reuters) - Indian authorities made fervent appeals to families on Tuesday to help identify over 100 unclaimed bodies kept in hospitals and mortuaries after 275 people were killed in the country's deadliest rail crash in over two decades. Following non-stop efforts to rescue survivors and clear and repair the track, trains resumed running over that section of the line on Sunday night. Till Monday evening around 100 bodies were yet to be identified, a senior state health department official told Reuters. Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, health director of Odisha, said authorities were trying to source iced containers to help preserve the bodies. "Unless they are identified, a post mortem cannot be done," Mohapatra said, explaining that under Odisha state regulations no autopsy can be conducted on an unclaimed body until 96 hours has passed.

Persons: Dilip Kumar Sabar, Jyotilal Sabar, Francis Mascarenhas BALASORE, Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, Odisha, Mohapatra, A.M, Chowdhary, Jatindra Dash, Krishn Kaushik, Sudipto Ganguly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India's Railway, federal Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI, Railway, Express, Thomson Locations: Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, Bhubaneswar's, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Kolkata, Howrah

☆ Probe into Indian rail disaster opens as trains start running
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Jatindra Dash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Following non-stop efforts to rescue survivors, and clear and repair the track, trains resumed running over that section of the line on Sunday night. The inquiry is underway," a senior railway officer told a Reuters reporter, as officials checked documents being submitted for examination. India's Railway Board, the top executive body, has recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation take over the investigation into the cause of the disaster. "We have to move towards normalization... Our responsibility is not over yet," railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters. "Passenger occupancy is almost 99%," Aditya Chaudhary, chief public relations officer of South Eastern Railway, told Reuters.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, A.M, Chowdhary, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Aditya Chaudhary, Jatindra Dash, Subrata, Tanvi Mehta, Sudipto Ganguly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Railway Board, Central Bureau of, Express, South Eastern Railway, Thomson Locations: Balasore district, Odisha, India, Adnan, Adnan Abidi KHARAGPUR, Balasore, Kharagpur, West Bengal, Chennai, Kolkata, Howrah, New Delhi

☆ India train crash: Devastating scenes of despair after one of the worst train crashes the country has ever seen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ivan Watson Kunal Sehgal Deepak Rao Rhea Mogul | Ivan Watson | Kunal Sehgal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Some of the coaches rolled to the other side,” the 32-year-old restaurant worker told CNN from a hospital in India’s eastern Odisha state. Their story is just one of hundreds unfolding across the country as India deals with one of the worst train crashes it has ever seen. Doctors confer as they attend to survivors of a train accident in a hospital in Balasore, India, on June 4, 2023. A drone view shows derailed coaches after two passenger trains collided in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, India, June 3, 2023. In 2011, scores were killed when a train jumped tracks in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Persons: CNN — Manto Kumar, “, ’, Punit Paranjpe, “ I’ve, I’ve, Laluti Devi, ”, Abhishek Chinnappa, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Laxminaranyan, Stringer, Reuters Anushuman Purohi, ” Vaishnaw, Rafiq Maqbool, Narendra Modi, Modi’s, Vaishnaw, Kumar Organizations: CNN, Express, Getty, Mojo, India’s, Government Medical College, Howrah, Reuters, Sunday, Indian, Crime Records, AP Railways, Central Bureau of Investigation, Authorities Locations: India’s, Odisha, India, Balasore, AFP, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Kolkata, Bahanaga Bazar, Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, Balasore district, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh

Bahanaga Bahanaga Bazar rail station Site of initial impact Coromandel Express passenger train Freight train carrying iron ore Bahanaga Bahanaga Bazar rail station Site of initial impact Coromandel Express passenger train Freight train carrying iron ore Bahanaga Bahanaga Bazar rail station Site of initial impact Freight train carrying iron ore Coromandel Express passenger train The New York Times; aerial drone image via ReutersInvestigators of the deadly multi-train crash in India have focused on the possibility that it was caused by an electronic signal system failure. 1 Two passenger trains approach◀ South to Chennai North to Kolkata ▶ Other freight train Second passenger train Coromandel Express Freight train with iron ore ◀ South to Chennai North to Kolkata ▶ Other freight train Second passenger train Coromandel Express Freight train with iron oreAt around 7 p.m. local time, the Coromandel Express passenger train approached from the north at a speed of about 80 miles per hour. 2 Coromandel Express veers onto occupied trackOther freight train Second passenger train (exact position unknown) Possible signal system failure Coromandel Express Freight train with iron ore Second passenger train (exact position unknown) Other freight train Coromandel Express Possible signal system failure Freight train with iron oreThe Coromandel Express veered onto an adjacent track occupied by an idled freight train that was loaded with iron ore. An Indian Railways official said that a problem with the signal system was most likely the overall cause of the crash, though investigations were still underway. 3 First passenger train collides with freight trainOther freight train Second passenger train (exact position unknown) Coromandel Express Freight train with iron ore Collision Second passenger train (exact position unknown) Other freight train Coromandel Express Freight train with Iron ore CollisionThe Coromandel Express collides with the freight train. 4 Second passenger train is hitOther freight train Second passenger train Freight train with iron ore Derailed cars strike second passenger train Coromandel Express Other freight train Freight train with Iron ore Derailed cars strike second passenger trainThe derailed cars from the Coromandel Express strike the second passenger train as it passes, causing two cars at the end of the second passenger train to derail.

Organizations: New York Times, Reuters Investigators, Coromandel, Indian Railways, Coromandel Express Locations: India, Chennai North, Kolkata, Howrah, Coromandel

☆ India rail crash probe focuses on track management system
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, June 4 (Reuters) - Investigators are probing an electronic track management system that they suspect malfunctioned and caused India’s deadliest train crash in more than two decades, railways officials said on Sunday. In their first detailed briefing on the crash, Indian Railways officials said that failure of the track management system was the main focus of investigations. The computer-controlled track management system, called the “interlocking system”, directs a train to an empty track at the point where two tracks meet, Sandeep Mathur, principal executive director for signalling, told reporters. It also coordinates and controls the signal to an oncoming train, indicating whether the train has to move straight or switch to a new track, he said. The interlocking system should not have allowed the Coromandel Express to take the loop track, Sinha said.

Persons: Sandeep Mathur, ”, Jaya Varma Sinha, Sinha, Adnan Abidi, Frances Kerry Organizations: Indian Railways, Railway Board, REUTERS, Express, YP, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Odisha, Balasore district, Coromandel, Chennai, Kolkata, India, Howrah

Nearly 1,200 people were injured when a passenger train hit a stationary freight train, jumped the tracks and hit another passenger train passing in the opposite direction near the district of Balasore. The drivers of both passenger trains were injured but survived, she said. RESTORATIONWorkers with heavy machinery were clearing the damaged track, wrecked trains and electric cables, as distraught relatives looked on. More than 1,000 people were involved in the rescue, the Railway Ministry said on Twitter. "The target is by Wednesday morning the entire restoration work is complete and tracks should be working," Vaishnaw said.

Persons: Pradeep Jena, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Narendra Modi, stringently, Modi, Jaya Varma Sinha, Stringer, Sinha, Vaishnaw, Kanchan Choudhury, Jatindra Dash, Rajesh, Jayshree Upadhyay, Ira Dugal, Robert Birsel, Sonali Paul, William Mallard, Nick Macfie Organizations: Railways, India's Railway Board, Central Bureau of Investigation, Railway, Express, Railway Ministry, Twitter, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: BAHANAGA, India, Odisha, Balasore, Chennai, Kolkata, du, Inde, Howrah

The crushed train cars were cleared and the jumbled tracks straightened and rejoined, as workers labored on Sunday to quickly restore an important rail line in east India two days after the country’s worst train disaster in decades. Families of the victims were still struggling to reach the site of the wreck, near the town of Balasore in Odisha State. The desperate journey to claim the bodies of loved ones was complicated for many families by a lack of train service, though by late Sunday night, some rail movement on restored tracks began in both directions. Officials said a special train would ferry relatives from the city of Kolkata, in the neighboring state of West Bengal, to Odisha. And the government of Odisha announced free bus service on the disrupted train route.

Persons: Odisha, ”, Rahul Kumar Organizations: Officials Locations: India, Balasore, Odisha State, Kolkata, West Bengal, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Rescue workers gather around damaged carriages during search for survivors at the accident site on Saturday. With the rail routes still blocked, family members of deceased passengers are having to find their way by other means to the crash site, to help identify the dead. India’s extensive rail network, one of the largest in the world, was built more than 160 years ago under British colonial rule. Decaying infrastructure is often cited as a cause for traffic delays and numerous train accidents in India. An ambitious National Rail Plan, announced in 2021, envisages that all major cities in north, west and south India should be connected by high-speed rail.

Persons: –, Ashwini Vaishnaw, ”, Dibyangshu Sarkar, Jaya Varma Sinha, ” Sinha, Mansukh Mandaviya, Mandaviya, Naveen Patnaik, Patnaik, “, Narenda Modi, Narendra Modi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Fumio Kishida, Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis, Modi, Modi’s, Albright Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Howrah, Bangalore . Rescue, Getty, Jaya, India’s Health, Sunday, Odisha’s, Public Relations Department, Indian, Rapid, Force, British, United Nations, National Crime Records, Group, Rail Plan, Bharat Locations: New Delhi, London, Hong Kong, Balasore, Odisha, Indian, Kolkata, Chennai, Bazar, Bangalore, AFP, Tamil Nadu, Russian, India, Jammu, Kashmir

A second passenger train, heading in the opposite direction, then struck some of the dislocated cars. More than 2,200 passengers in all were onboard the passenger trains, according to railway officials, and at least 23 cars were derailed. The other passenger train was a Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express train, running from a commuter hub in the southern city of Bengaluru to Kolkata, the capital of the northeastern state of West Bengal. Site of the train crash An initial government report said that the Coromandel Express passenger train derailed while traveling at full speed. In 2016, 14 train cars derailed in India’s northeast in the middle of the night, killing more than 140 passengers and injuring 200 others.

Persons: Ashwini Vaishnaw, Vaishnaw, Derailments, Jitendra Prakash, Narendra Modi, Modi, Modi’s, Amit Dave, Suresh Prabhu, Mr, Mujib Mashal Organizations: Chennai Coromandel Express, South Eastern Railway, Express, Coromandel, INDIA, Economic, Disaster Management, Reuters Rail Locations: India, Balasore, Odisha State, Shalimar, Chennai Coromandel, India’s, Howrah, Bengaluru, Kolkata, West Bengal, Odisha, Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s, Bihar, Pukhrayan, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad

The other passenger train was a Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express train, running from a commuter hub in Bangalore to Kolkata, the capital of the eastern state of West Bengal. India’s railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that he had ordered an investigation into the cause and that those affected by the crash would receive compensation. Site of the train crash An initial government report said that the Coromandel Express passenger train derailed while traveling at full speed. Dozens of trains had been canceled but crews were rushing to restore service after pushing off the train cars involved in the crash off the tracks. In 2016, 14 train cars derailed in India’s northeast in the middle of the night, killing more than 140 passengers and injuring 200 others.

Persons: Ashwini Vaishnaw, Derailments, Jitendra Prakash, Narendra Modi, Modi, Modi’s, Amit Dave, Suresh Prabhu, Mr, Vaishnaw, Mujib Mashal Organizations: Chennai Coromandel Express, South Eastern Railway, Express, Coromandel, INDIA, Sunday, Economic, Disaster Management, Reuters Rail Locations: India, Balasore, Odisha State, Shalimar, Chennai Coromandel, India’s, Howrah, Bangalore, Kolkata, West Bengal, Bahanaga Bazar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s, Bihar, Pukhrayan, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad

June 3 (Reuters) - At least 233 people were killed and 900 were injured when two passenger trains collided in India's Odisha state, a government official said on Saturday, making the rail accident the country's deadliest in more than a decade. The death toll from Friday's crash is expected to rise, the state's Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said on Twitter. Early on Saturday morning, Reuters video footage showed police officials moving bodies covered in white cloths off the railway tracks. [1/5] A drone view shows derailed coaches after two passenger trains collided in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, India, June 3, 2023. Although Chief Secretary Jena and some media reports have suggested a freight train was also involved in the crash, railway authorities have yet to comment on that possibility.

Persons: Pradeep Jena, sobbed, Naveen Patnaik, Abinaya Vijayaraghavan, Akriti Sharma, Jatindra, Subrata Nag Choudhury, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Twitter, Reuters, REUTERS, Stringer Authorities, Ministry of Railways, Jena, Force, Indian Railways, Thomson Locations: India's Odisha, Balasore, Howrah, Bangalore, Howrah , West Bengal, Kolkata, Chennai, Balasore district, Odisha, India, Odisha's, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar

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