Fact-check: Did Virat Kohli donate INR 30 crore for Odisha train accident victims?

Hundreds of Indian families lost their loved ones in a horrific three-train collision in Odisha state of India earlier this month. 

The train accident was declared deadliest in more than 20 years in India. Reportedly, 288 people lost their lives whereas over 900 people were left injured in the accident. 

People from across the world expressed condolences to hundreds of Indian families who suffered during the incident. 

Former Indian cricketer Virat Kohli also prayed for the deprived families in a Tweet soon after the accident. 

"Saddened to hear about the tragic train accident in Odisha. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who lost their loved ones and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured," he wrote. 

After his tweet, several social media pages claimed that the Indian cricketer donated INR 30 crore for Odisha train accident victims. 

Fact

According to latest Indian media reports, there is no official confirmation by the cricketer in this regard. 

Kohli is currently representing India against Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval. 

'Hour of grief'

India has one of the world's largest rail networks and has seen several disasters over the years, the worst of them in 1981 when a train derailed while crossing a bridge in Bihar and plunged into the river below, killing between 800 and 1,000 people.

Friday's crash ranks as its third worst, and the deadliest since 1995, when two express trains collided in Firozabad, near Agra, killing more than 300 people.

Odisha state's chief secretary Pradeep Jena confirmed that about 900 injured people had been hospitalised.

Rescue teams including from the National Disaster Response Force and air force were deployed, while the railways ministry announced an investigation.

Authorities said every hospital between the crash site and the state capital Bhubaneswar around 200 kilometres (125 miles) away was receiving victims, with 200 ambulances — and even buses — deployed to transport them.

At Bhadrak District Hospital, bloodied and shocked survivors were receiving treatment in crowded wards.

The disaster comes despite new investments and upgrades in technology that have significantly improved railway safety in recent years.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who officials said would visit the crash site and hospitals later Saturday — said he was "distressed by the train accident".

"In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon," he tweeted.

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