Officials have reported that at least 50 people were killed and 550 injured in eastern India after two passenger trains derailed and collided with a freight train in Odisha state’s Balasore district on Friday. The search-and-rescue operation, which involved hundreds of personnel, including fire department personnel, police, doctors, and sniffer dogs, is expected to continue through the night. Officials have expressed concerns that the number of casualties may rise. Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, the senior administrator in Balasore, confirmed that at least 50 people had died. Pradeep Jena, the state’s top civil servant, stated that the exact number of casualties had not yet been confirmed.
