12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express derailed near the New Domohani station in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal on Thursday evening

12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express derailed near the New Domohani station in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal on Thursday evening

Twelve coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express derailed near the New Domohani station in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal Thursday evening, with at least seven persons killed and more than 40 others injured, including 13 critically, authorities said.

In an effort to determine what caused the accident, which took place at 4.53 pm at about 42 km from the New Jalpaiguri station on the section between the New Domohani and the New Maynaguri stations, officials are calling for a high-level probe.

According to media reports, injured people are being treated at hospitals in Jalpaiguri and Maynaguri, which are approximately 12-13 km from the site, and the death toll may increase. At the Maynaguri hospital, three deceased bodies were brought in, and four more deaths occurred at the Jalpaiguri Super Speciality Hospital.

According to Northeast Frontier Railway, the train carrying 1,053 passengers from Rajasthan’s Bikaner via Bihar’s Patna stopped at Guwahati for passengers headed to the city.

The officials at the spot report that coaches toppled from the track and one coach was found on top of anotherAccording to them, several dead and injured people were found lying alongside the track, while others were found trapped inside a mangled coach.

Officials said that at the beginning of the operation, the rescue operation was hampered by the darkness, but floodlights and cranes were sent soon thereafter.

According to officials, three bodies have been recovered, but the number of casualties could rise. ANI reports.

In February 2019, six people lost their lives in Bihar when the Seemanchal Express derailment caused a fatality. This is the first major rail accident involving fatalities since then.

 ” It was an unfortunate incident. I will be visiting the scene tomorrow. I have already communicated the rescue operation to the Prime Minister. Now, our main focus is the rescue operation, ”  said Ashwini Vaishnaw, rail minister.

 ” I was jerked by a heavy force followed by an intense sound and I fell from my berth, ”  said one of the five survivors of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train that derailed in West Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri district on Thursday, killing five and injuring 45 others. Several of the train’s coaches overturned near Domohani after the coaches jumped the rails. According to a spokesperson for the railroad, the accident occurred at approximately 5 pm in an area within the Alipurduar division of the Northeast Frontier Railway. While a few bogies were thrown down the slope and overturned, a partially mangled coach was perched above another under the impact.

Deputy Prime Minister Vaishnaw tweeted that he had spoken to Modi  ” and taken stock of the situation ” . NDTV reports that Vaishnaw tweeted,  ” My thoughts are with the bereaved families ” .  ” God bless those injured and speedy recoveries! ”  Modi concluded.

 

To carry out the rescue operations, officials said essential equipment, such as cranes and gas cutters, were deployed at the site. In addition, medical equipment and a relief train were sent to help transport stranded passengers. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has had two teams arrive at the scene, as have several Railways officials and officials of the district administration, NDRF officials said.

According to reports, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee found out about the incident during a virtual meeting with the Prime Minister. The state government is monitoring the situation closely.

 ” It is with great concern that I received the news of the tragic accident involving the Bikaner-Guwahati Express in Maynaguri. Supervision of rescue and relief operations is being carried out by senior officers of the state government: DM/SP/IG North Bengal. Any injured individuals will receive medical treatment as soon as possible. We’re closely monitoring the situation from our State Headquarters, ”  she wrote on Twitter.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Assam Chief Minister, said he has been communicating with Banerjee as well as Vaishnaw. To find out more about the incident involving the Bikaner-Guwahati Express, I have contacted West Bengal’s chief minister, Smt @MamataOfficial Ji. In addition to providing all available help and assistance on the ground, she also promised to keep us updated as the situation developed.  ” I am grateful to her for all the support she offered the victims, ”  he wrote on Twitter.

After the accident, alternative routes were opened to ferry several trains, including the Guwahati-Howrah Saraighat Express, the Kamakhya-Anand Vihar Express, and the New Delhi-Guwahati Express. A Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia payment has been announced to the families of the deceased, a Rs 1 lakh payment to families of grievously injured individuals, and a Rs 25,000 payment to families of passengers with a simple injury.

In West Bengal, a team of surgical specialists, anaesthetists and anaesthetists has been formed to respond to emergencies, according to Dr Ajay Chakraborty, Director of Health Services. Based on inputs from ENS/Delhi)

Among the nine dead is a passenger on the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train who died in the West Bengal Jalpaiguri district mishap, while 36 others are injured including some in critical condition.

Around 5 pm on Thursday, 12 coaches of a train heading to Assam derailed and some overturned near Domohani under the Alipurduar division of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), the railway spokesperson said in Guwahati. 

According to union minister John Barla, the rescue operation was over and the injured people were receiving treatment in different hospitals. News agency ANI reported Barla as saying passengers were transported to Guwahati by a special train.

Moumita Godara Basu, the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri, later told reporters four bodies had been found at the accident site, while three others had died at the hospital.

The death toll could rise since some victims are in critical condition, she said on Thursday, adding that rescuers are now using cranes to remove cargo from damaged compartments. With darkness and thick fog, she said rescuers carefully searched each coach for survivors and bodies. 

Both Maynaguri and Jalpaiguri hospitals provided treatment for the injured.

 ” We sent generators to the accident site to lighten it up. Our departments have all been contacted, ”  Basu said.

In New Delhi, an official announced that the Railway Safety Commissioner would investigate the cause of the accident. An NFR spokesperson stated in Guwahati that rescue operations are now complete. At the time of the derailment, there were 1,053 passengers aboard the train, the news service reported, while those who were stranded were provided with water and snacks. 

Throughout its three-day journey, the train was running two hours and 41 minutes late. As of Tuesday night, the train was due to depart from Bikaner in the late evening and reach Guwahati in the early morning.

At approximately 9.30 pm, a train arrived at the accident site with passengers heading to Guwahati.

During a meeting to discuss the Covid situation in the country with other chief ministers, Premier Narendra Modi was briefed on the tragedy by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

 

During a news conference on the derailment of an express train in West Bengal, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu expressed sympathies to the injured and wished a speedy recovery for them. 

According to the Indian Railways, Rs 5 Lakhs have been announced as ex-gratia to those who died, Rs 1 lakh for those who were seriously injured, and Rs 25,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.

You can call the following numbers in New Jalpaiguri Junction and Katihar:

Junction of New Jalpaiguri – 9002041951 and 9002041955

Call Katihar at 9002041952 or 06452230692

edited and proofread by nikita sharma