Eight people were killed while several passengers were injured after 12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derailed near Domohani in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. The accident occurred around 5 pm near Maynaguri’s Domhiniti under the Alipurduar division of Northeast Frontier Railway.
Senior railway officials and rescue workers were immediately rushed to the spot for relief and rescue operations. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Railway Board Chairman, and Director General (Safety) are also leaving for the accident site.
Here are the latest updates:
• Preliminary assessment suggests a possibility of a crack in the railway tracks, which might have caused the accident, Moumita Godala Basu, DM Jalpaiguri said.
• Ashwini Vaishnaw called the incident “unfortunate” and said that the rescue team is at the location while the senior officials are also present at the site.
• The Indian Railways has announced Rs 5 Lakh ex-gratia for those killed, Rs 1 lakh for the severely injured and Rs 25,000 for passengers who suffered minor injuries.
• An NFR spokesperson said in Guwahati that a relief and rescue train carrying a medical team has reach the accident site. For stranded passengers, a train has been arranged which has arrived at the site from New Jalpaiguri.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he spoke to Ashwini Vaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the train accident in West Bengal. “Spoke to Railways Minister Shri AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the wake of the train accident in West Bengal. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly,” Modi said in a tweet.
• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she is deeply concerned to hear about the tragic accident and informed that senior officers of the state government, DM, SP, IG North Bengal are supervising rescue and relief operations.
• Ashwini Vaishnaw is headed to the accident site in North Bengal. He will fly to Kolkata from where he will take a special train to the accident site.
• So far 50 people have been rescued while four of the injured were sent to Jalpaiguri district hospital and 16 were sent to Moynaguri government hospital.
• A high-level Commissioner Railway Safety inquiry has been ordered in the train accident. Chairperson of the Railway Board and DG (Safety), Railway Board are leaving from Delhi to the site of the accident.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he is anguished to learn about the loss of lives due to the rail accident. He offered condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of injured.
• According to railway officials, since the accident occurred on the main line, all train movement towards Guwahati has been halted for the time being.
Hundreds of people from nearby villages collected at the spot, and were seen lending a helping hand to passengers who had got trapped inside the collapsed coaches. Some of the bogies had got detached from the rest of the train under the impact, while wheels of some came off. As the news of the accident reached Jalpaiguri, siren-blaring ambulances arrived at the spot and the injured were seen being evacuated.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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