At least 288 people were killed and more than 1,200 people were also injured in Friday’s horrific three-train collision in India, the country’s deadliest rail accident in more than 20 years, officials said.
Images from the crash site showed smashed train compartments torn open with blood-stained holes near Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha.
According to a report, Carriages had flipped over entirely in the crash late on Friday and rescue workers searched for survivors trapped in the mangled wreckage, with scores of bodies laid out under white sheets beside the tracks.
As dawn broke on Saturday, rescue workers were able to see the full extent of the carnage.
Sudhanshu Sarangi, director general of Odisha Fire Services, said that the death toll stood at 288.
“The rescue work is still going on,” he told AFP from the accident site, adding there were “a lot of serious injuries”.
India is no stranger to railway accidents and has seen several disasters, the worst of them in 1981, when a train derailed while crossing a bridge in Bihar and plunged into the river below, killing between 800 and 1,000 people.
But Friday’s crash is believed to be the worst since the 1990s.
Odisha state’s chief secretary Pradeep Jena confirmed that about 850 injured people had been sent to hospitals following the crash, which took place around 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar.
“Our top priority now is rescuing (the passengers) and providing health support to the injured,” he said.
Meanwhile, railway officials and witnesses gathered to submit evidence to a two-day inquiry into what happened.
King Charles has sent a message of condolence to the President of India, saying he and the Queen were “profoundly shocked” by what happened.
He said: “I would like to express our deepest possible condolences to the families of all those who have so tragically lost their lives.
“I do hope you know what a special place India and the people of India have in our hearts. I have particularly fond memories of visiting Odisha in 1980 and meeting some of its people on that occasion.