Pres Ali sends letter of solidarity to India following horrific train crash

– says time for global community to unite & offer support

Days after a catastrophic train crash in the Indian state of Odisha, President Dr Irfaan Ali conveyed his condolences and a message of solidarity to the Indian people on behalf of Guyana.
In a letter addressed to Indian President Smt Droupadi Murmu, President Ali expressed deep sadness at the “tragic and horrific train crash” – one which has so far claimed the lives of over 250 victims.
“On behalf of the Government and people of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, I extend my sincere condolences to you and the people of India, and especially to all those affected by this devastating incident.
The President also directed his sympathies to the families of those who lost their loved ones. He also extended thoughts and prayers to all those who are injured and wished them a speedy recovery. The injured from the train crash currently number in the thousand.
“Please convey my sympathies to the families who have lost their loved ones. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those injured, wishing them a swift recovery,” President Ali wrote in his letter.
“In times of such tragedy, it is important for us to come together as a global community and offer support to one another. I want to assure you that Guyana stands in solidarity with India during this difficult time. Please be assured also of my highest esteem and consideration.”
According to a report from the BBC, the accident occurred on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar Station 170 miles south of Kolkata. The accident involved three trains – the Coromandel Express en route to Chennai, the Howrah Superfast Express en route to Howrah and a stationary goods train at the Bahanaga Bazar station.
The report quotes railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma as saying that the Coromandel Express derailed first. A Railway Ministry official was also quoted saying that further investigations would have to be done to determine why the Coromandel Express derailed.
“Lines 1 and 4 had goods trains parked on them. The passenger trains were running parallelly and simultaneously on tracks two and three. It’s a matter of investigation why and how the Coromandel Express got derailed and hit the goods trains,” he was quoted saying.
India has an extensive train network, in fact, one of the largest in the world. More than 12,000 passenger trains traverse daily. This tragedy is one of the deadliest accidents in the history of railways in India.