Sri Lankan President expresses grief over tragic train collision in Odisha

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the people and the government of India following the tragic train accident in Odisha that killed around 275 people.

Wickremesinghe extended his condolences to the Government of India and the bereaved families who have suffered an unimaginable loss, Daily Mirror Newspaper reported on Sunday.

Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the president said the thoughts and prayers of Sri Lanka were with the families of the victims and hoped that they would find the strength and resilience to overcome their grief.

Several world leaders including US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emanuel Macron have expressed their condolences to the families and the Government of India over one of the country’s worst train accidents that also left 1,175 persons injured.

The Coromandel Express rammed into a stationary goods train and many of its carriages overturned including some onto another train – the Bengaluru-Howrah superfast express which was also passing by at the same time on Friday.