The ceremony to flag off the Goa-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been cancelled following the tragic accident involving three trains in Odisha in which the death toll has crossed 230 and 900 people have been injured.

PM Modi has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs. 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased person and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the train mishap.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday reached the accident spot in Odisha’s Balasore and took stock of the situation. He has announced a high-level inquiry into the horrifying accident.

“Our focus is on rescue and relief operations. Restoration will begin after clearance from the district administration,” the minister said.