Nine people are killed and over forty injured after a goods train and the Kanchanjungha Express collide in West Bengal.
In West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, about 11 kilometers from New Jalpaiguri station, a cargo train collided with the Kanchanjunga Express, which was en route from Agartala to Sealdah. The incident occurred at 8:55 a.m. on Monday, resulting in nine deaths and at least forty injuries. Among the fatalities were seven passengers, the locomotive pilot of the freight train coming from Amingaon, Assam, and an additional railway employee.
The collision’s impact was so intense that it caused three rear coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express to derail within the Northeast Frontier Railway zone, situated between the Rangapani and Chhatarhat stations. Rescue operations were initiated promptly, but the efforts to extricate the stranded passengers were hampered by persistent heavy rainfall in Siliguri since the morning. This weather condition significantly delayed the rescue operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his condolences, describing the West Bengal event as terrible and expressing his prayers for the wounded parties’ quick recovery. About thirty kilometers from the New Jalpaiguri station in North Bengal, the freight train’s locomotive collided from behind, causing the three back compartments to collapse.
When Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reached the scene, he said that an investigation into the accident’s cause had been launched by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). Mr. Vaishnaw stated on X that the next of relatives of the deceased would receive ₹10 lakh, the severely injured would receive ₹2.5 lakh, and those with slight injuries would receive ₹50,000.
He attested to the conclusion of the rescue efforts.
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Abhishek Roy, the Additional Superintendent of Police in Kurseong, reported from the accident site that the local residents provided significant assistance.
Among the first responders was 32-year-old Muhammad Momirul, who immediately ran to the scene after hearing a loud noise. The accident abruptly interrupted the Eid celebrations that were ongoing in his neighborhood, bringing them to an unexpected halt.
The passenger train’s wheel crushed the locomotive pilot. He was already dead. Momirul remarked, “I regret not being able to rescue the individual who died holding my hand.” The first responders were around 150 residents of Chotonirmal hamlet, which is situated directly below the railroad tracks.
The long-distance train services were also impacted by the accident, which happened on the important rail connection connecting Kolkata and Siliguri. This accident marks the highest number of fatalities in a railway disaster since last year’s Balasore train crash, which resulted in 296 deaths.
Along with her, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the Centre for the tragedy, claiming that the Railways had jeopardized passenger safety by failing to install the anti-collision mechanism, or Kavach, in every train.
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Accidents do occur; that much is certain. However, where was the anti-collision mechanism that I had put in place during my tenure as the Railway Minister? These days, they refer to it by a different name (Kavach). However, giving passengers raksha kavach (a protecting shield) is my first priority. This isn’t an attack. However, it is a truth that passenger comforts are not prioritized,” Banerjee remarked prior to departing for the scene of the tragedy.
Investigation ongoing of the kanchanjunga express accident
An initial investigation has shown that human error was the cause of the Kanchanjunga Express disaster.
Railway Board Chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha told reporters, “The crash took place because the cargo train loco pilot ignored the signal and struck the Kanchanjunga Express, which was on the journey to Sealdah from Agartala.”
“The accident resulted in the deaths of the guard of the Kanchenjunga Express as well as the operator and assistant locomotive operator of the goods train,” she stated, noting that a comprehensive investigation will ascertain the cause of the tragedy.
The Railways’ claim that the cargo train loco pilot disregarded the red signal has been contested by the loco pilot’s body, however. “Announcing that the loco pilot is accountable when he is deceased and the CRS investigation is still ongoing is extremely offensive,” stated Sanjay Pandhi, the working president of the Indian Railway Loco Runningman Organization (IRLRO).
