New Delhi:The death toll from a collision of three trains in the east Indian district of Balasore has risen to 288, the railway authorities said, after one of India's worst such accidents in decades.
Several hundred injured passengers were being treated in various hospitals in the state of Odisha, a spokesman for South Eastern Railways said.
Later, during a visit to the site of the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for consequences in the wake of the "painful incident."
The government will leave no stone unturned for the treatment of those injured, he said.
"It's a serious incident, and instructions have been issued for the probe from every angle. Those found guilty will be punished stringently."
Modi said the railways were working towards track restoration. "I met the injured victims," he said after visiting a hospital in Odisha's Balasore where injured passengers are being treated.
The horrific crash on Friday evening left about 900 people injured, authorities in Odisha state said, as it declared a day of mourning or the victims.
The death toll was expected to rise further as rescue teams search the scene.
About a dozen damaged carriages lay on and next to the tracks, some with their wheels sticking up, some with torn open ceilings, the windows smashed.
On and next to the carriages, dozens of helpers in civilian clothes and rescue workers in orange protective suits tried to rescue injured passengers from under the debris.
Cranes and bulldozers were also brought in.
The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
However, it is thought a passenger train derailed before being struck by another on an adjacent track. A goods train was also involved in the incident.
Rescue efforts on Friday involved more than 115 ambulances, Odisha state's chief secretary Pradeep Jena said. About 500 units of blood were collected overnight with 900 units currently in stock, he tweeted.
"This will help in treating the accident victims. I'm personally indebted and grateful to all the volunteers who've donated blood for a noble cause," he wrote.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw arrived at the scene on Saturday morning to assess the extent of the tragedy.
India has seen a lot of investment in railways in recent years, but problems persist.
Leaders abroad sent messages of sympathy and support.
"I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the Odisha train accident and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.
"The people of India are in our thoughts in this time of sorrow."
Pope Francis also expressed his sympathy for the accident's victims in an official telegram to the Vatican ambassador in India, Leopoldo Girelli, on Saturday.
The pontiff sent "heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss" as well as offering prayers for those injured and the efforts of emergency service workers.
Further condolences came in from the presidents of Ukraine, Russia, and from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
