International

Tragedy in India: More Than 280 Dead, Hundreds Injured In a Triple Train Accident

Published

3 years ago

June 3, 2023

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A disaster has occurred in India where at least 288 people were killed and hundreds more injured in a three-train collision, officials said Saturday, the country’s deadliest rail accident in more than 20 years.

Wreckage debris was piled high at the crash site near Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha, where some carriages had been tossed far from the tracks and others flipped over entirely.

Smashed train compartments were torn open in the impact late on Friday, leaving blood-stained holes in their sides.

Rescue workers search for survivors amid damaged carriages at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 3, 2023. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)

Survivor Arjun Das told a Bengali television channel he heard a thundering sound, then saw people falling from upper berths.

He jumped out of the train. “People were screaming, shouting for help,” he said.

“There were injured lying everywhere inside coaches and along the tracks. I want to forget the scenes.”

Rescue workers and military personnel gather around damaged carriages at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 3, 2023. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)

The disaster began when an express train running north from India’s tech hub Bengaluru to Kolkata derailed, falling onto the adjacent southbound track.

Minutes later, the Coromandal Express heading from Kolkata to Chennai smashed into the wreckage, some of its coaches also colliding with a goods train parked nearby.

Researcher Anubhav Das was in the last carriage of the second train when he heard “screeching, horrifying sounds coming from a distance”.

An army personnel searches for survivors at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 3, 2023. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)

International

U.S. bombs Venezuela, arrests President Maduro, wife

The U.S. has long accused Maduro of leading an international drug trafficking organisation, something that Maduro denies.

Published

1 day ago

January 3, 2026

OCHEFA

26 Views

•President Nicolas Maduro

The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, Cilia Flores captured and flown out of the country to an unknown destination.

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the attack in a statement on Truth Social on Saturday, January 3.

This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.

“There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

The U.S. has long accused Maduro of leading an international drug trafficking organisation, something that Maduro denies.

Trump did not give more detail about how Maduro was captured or where he has been taken.

The Venezuelan government has not yet confirmed this.

The U.S. had offered a $50m reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro.

That, along with the huge military build-up in the region over the last few months, were interpreted in the region as encouragement for someone inside the country to turn against him.

Donald Trump adds on Truth Social that there will be a news conference at 11:00 EST (16:00 GMT), at the president’s Florida residence Mar-a-Lago.

International

‘128 journalists killed worldwide in 2025’,says IFJ

Meanwhile, the IFJ said that across the globe, 533 journalists were currently in prison – a figure that has more than doubled over the past half-decade.

Published

3 days ago

January 2, 2026

OCHEFA

55 Views

• Journalists at work

A total of 128 journalists were killed around the world in 2025, more than half of them in the Middle East, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Thursday.

The grim toll, up from 2024, “is not just a statistic, it’s a global red alert for our colleagues,” IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger told AFP.

The press group voiced particular alarm over the situation in the Palestinian territories, where it recorded 56 media professionals killed in 2025 as Israel’s war with Hamas ground on in Gaza.

“We’ve never seen anything like this: so many deaths in such a short time, in such a small area,” Bellanger said.

Journalists were also killed in Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, Peru, India and elsewhere.

Bellanger condemned what he called “impunity” for those behind the attacks. “Without justice, it allows the killers of journalists to thrive,” he warned.

Meanwhile, the IFJ said that across the globe, 533 journalists were currently in prison – a figure that has more than doubled over the past half-decade.

International

In pictures: New Year welcomed around the world

The London Eye is illuminated by the fireworks display in central London. Credit: PA Media

Published

4 days ago

January 1, 2026

OCHEFA

52 Views

Fireworks lit up the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House during New Year’s Day celebrations in Australia. Credit: AFP via Getty Images.