According to local authorities, a multiple train crash in eastern India’s Odisha state has resulted in at least 30 fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

According to the state’s chief secretary, close to 50 ambulances were dispatched to the scene in the Balasore area.

Two passenger trains and a goods train were also involved, according to Pradeep Jena.

The event on Friday night upset Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed his sympathy for the grieving families.

He tweeted, “Rescue operations are under way at the scene of the accident and all applicable assistance is being provided to those affected.”

Amit Shah, the home minister, described the episode as “deeply agonizing.”

According to senior fire department officer Sudhanshu Sarangi, at least 30 people perished. About 400 individuals, he claimed, had been hurt.

According to Mr. Sarangi, the toll “may increase…at this time, there is no clarity on that.”

The crash’s exact course is yet unknown.

At around 19:00 local time (13:30 GMT), many carriages from the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express are thought to have derailed, with some ending up on the opposing track.

It is therefore believed that a train moving from Yesvantpur to Howrah struck the upside-down coaches.

It was seen that some surviving passengers rushed to the rescue of those buried in the debris.

Rescue operations were expected to last far into the night.

According to the news agency Associated Press, rail accidents happen several hundreds of times a year in India.