1981 Bihar to 2023 Balasore train accident in Odisha, here are ...

In one of the deadliest train accidents in India, nearly 300 passenger died and nearly 1000 injured when three trains collided in Odisha's Balasore on Friday. Every day thousands of passengers use the Indian rail network to reach their destinations. India's extensive railway network is one of the largest in the world.

The country has witnessed several tragic train accidents that have resulted in significant loss of life and raised serious concerns about safety measures. Here are details of some of the deadliest rail accidents in India in recent decades:

Bihar Rail Disaster (June 1981): Country's deadliest and world's second biggest train accident happened in 1981 in Bihar. On June 6, 1981, at least 800 people are killed when seven of the nine bogies of an overcrowded passenger train derailed from a bridge and fall into the Baghmati river during a cyclone at Balaghat in Bihar. The overloaded passenger train was going from Mansi to Saharsa. As per some estimates, the death toll varied from 800 to 2,000 as the waterlogged bodies were fished out one by one after several days of rescue work. It was impossible to assess the number of passengers since the train including four large marriage parties was packed inside the train.

1981 was also a year that claimed lives in thousands. It was a year when death stalked India's rail network. There were 526 train derailments in the first nine months alone.

The Peruman railway accident, Kerala, July 1988: The accident occurred on July 8, 1988, when a train derailed on the Peruman bridge over Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala, and fell into the monsoon-swollen lake, killing over 100 people. Ten bogie of Island Express, travelling from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram, derailed and fell into the lake. Out of the 14 coaches, only the engine, the parcel van and a second class compartment had crossed the bridge when the derailment occurred. Two of the nine coaches that fell into the water turned upside down.

Firozabad, August 1995: At least 350 people lost their life when two trains collided in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. The accident occurred late night on August 20, 1995, at 02:55 when a passenger train collided with a train that had stopped after hitting a nilgai. The first train, the "Kalindi Express" from Kanpur struck a nilgai but was unable to proceed as its brakes were damaged. The halted train was then struck from behind by the Purushottam Express from Puri.

Gaisal, West Bengal, August 1999: The accident happened August 2, 1999, when two trains collided at a remote station of Gaisal in West Bengal. The crash occurred at about 1:45 am due to a signalling error, when the Avadh Assam Express from New Delhi collided with the Brahmaputra mail at Gaisal railway station, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal. Both trains were using the same track on a day when three of the four tracks on the line were closed for maintenance. Their combined speeds were so great that the trains exploded on impact, killing nearly 300 people.

Velugonda, Andhra Pradesh October 2005: Several coaches of a passenger train derailed in Andhra Pradesh, near Velugonda when it was attempting to cross tracks washed away by a flood. Nearly 100 people were killed and 92 others were injured. The accident occurred about 4:15 am when seven coaches of the 15-coach train remained in the water. The train was crossing a bridge flanking a reservoir when it derailed, as a flood of water had washed the tracks away.

Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, July 2011: Around 70 people were killed and over 300 injured on July 10, 2011, at 12:20, when the 15 coaches of Howrah-Kalka Mail derailed near Malwan. As per news reports, fire and sparks were reported in the AC compartments of the train. The train had left Howrah and was heading towards Kalka when the incident happened

Pukhrayan, Kanpur, November 2016: Nearly 150 people were killed and more than 200 injured on November 20, 2016, when the Indore–Patna Express derailed near Pukhrayan, Kanpur. At approximately 03:10 local time

Andhra Pradesh, January 2017: At least 41 people are killed after several coaches of a passenger train go off the rails in Andhra Pradesh.

Amritsar, October 2018: A passenger train runs through a crowd gathered on the tracks for a festival in Amritsar killing at least 59 people and injuring 57. The crowd had gathered to watch the burning of effigies for Dussehra and were standing on the tracks. The accident occurred in the early evening, killing at least 59 people and injuring approximately 100 other.