Local sources reported the updated casualty figures, with initial reports indicating a death toll of 30 and nearly 200 injured.

The collision took place on Friday evening when a passenger train traveling from Bangalore to Kolkata collided with a freight train, resulting in the partial derailment of the passenger train.

Several coaches from the derailed train subsequently collided with a Coromandel Express train en route from Kolkata to Chennai on neighboring tracks.

Rescue operations are currently underway at the accident site to save those trapped and injured.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, emphasizing his thoughts are with them during this time of profound grief.

“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and took stock of the situation,” Modi wrote on Twitter, adding that rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given to those affected.

Despite ongoing efforts by the government to improve rail safety, India's extensive railway system, the world's largest network managed by a single entity, experiences several hundred accidents annually. The majority of these incidents are attributed to human error or outdated signaling equipment.

India's railways play a vital role in daily transportation, accommodating over 12 million passengers who rely on 14,000 trains traversing a vast network spanning 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) each day.

Sadly, the country has witnessed significant train accidents in the past, including the tragic collision near New Delhi in August 1995, which claimed the lives of 358 individuals, marking it as the deadliest train accident in India's history. (ILKHA)