Rescue workers in India are rushing to locate survivors after a catastrophic accident involving three trains killed hundreds of people in one of the country's deadliest rail disasters.
At least 300 people were killed, and over 9000 were injured in a collision involving two passenger trains, and a goods train in Balasore in eastern Odisha state on Friday.
However, rescuers fear the death toll to grow further because many individuals are believed to be trapped beneath overturned carriages.
The cause of the incident is unknown, but Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on Saturday that a "high-level inquiry" has been ordered into the collision, which occurred near the Bahanaga railway station in northeastern Odisha.
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The catastrophe has rippled across India, a country of 1.4 billion people, sparking renewed calls for officials to fix long-standing safety flaws on the country's trains.
Every day, 13 million passengers travel by train in India, and while the government has recently invested millions in upgrading its railways, years of neglect have caused lines to degrade.
Images and video from the Friday crash site depict turmoil and sadness. Several dead bodies can be seen beside the crumpled trains while police officers and survivors stand nearby. Personal items of passengers can be seen strewn about inside carriages, and windows have been shattered, spilling glass and metal debris over the floors. Train carriages have been destroyed.
This is one of the worst crashes in recent Indian history.
On Saturday, Narendra Singh Bundela, Inspector General of Operations at the National Disaster Response Force (NDRP), told reporters that teams had rescued passengers who had been discovered alive.
The rescue attempt involves almost 115 ambulances and multiple fire departments. The Indian army, the National Disaster Response Force, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, and the state's fire services have all been sent to the scene.
In a spectacular display of unity and support, hundreds of people have congregated outside local hospitals to donate blood. Overnight, around 500 units of blood were collected, with 900 units currently on hand.
"There are literally dead bodies all around," he remarked. "Due to a lack of beds, injured passengers are being treated outside of the hospital."
