King Charles III ‘profoundly shocked’ by devastating train collision in India
King Charles III has sent his condolence message to the President of India Droupadi Murmu, following the tragic train accident which took the lives of around 270 people and left several thousand injured.
The incident occurred on 3 June, when several carriages from the passenger train Coromandel Express, travelling between Kolkata and Chennai, derailed and hit a stationary goods train. As a result of the impact, several of its coaches ended up on the opposite track.
Shortly after, the Howrah Superfast Express travelling from Yesvantpur to Howrah in the opposite direction hit the overturned carriages.
The King, in his message, recalled his visit to Odisha 43 years ago. The accident occurred in the Balasore district of the East Indian state.
In a statement issued by the Buckingham Palace, the monarch wrote: “Both my wife [Queen Camilla] and I have been most profoundly shocked and saddened by the news of such a dreadful accident outside Balasore. I would like to express our deepest possible condolences to the families of all those who have so tragically lost their lives.”
A statement was also released on the social media pages belonging to the royal family, where the 74-year-old mentions that India holds a special place in his heart and recollects his visit to Odisha many years ago.
He said, “I do hope you know what a special place India and the people of India have in our hearts. I have particularly fond memories of visiting Odisha in 1980 and meeting some of its people on that occasion.”
King Charles III added, “I pray, therefore, that you may be able to convey our most heartfelt prayers and sympathy to all those who have been affected by this appalling tragedy, together with our special thoughts for the people of Odisha.”
This message followed the UK government’s many condolence messages, which included one from prime minister Rishi Sunak who expressed his support for the survivors of the incident and appreciated the efforts of those who carried out rescue work in the region.
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