JALPAIGURI: The 13174 Kanchanjunga Express from Agartala on its way to Sealdah was involved in an accident at arround 8:45 AM on Monday morning. Preliminary reports from the location of the incident mentioned that 5 people had died while more than 25 were injured in the incident.
The incident took place at the Rangapani near the New Jalpaiguri railway station in the state of West Bengal. A goods train collided with the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express from behind, damaging multiple coaches of the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express. Multiple rescue teams were deployed immediately to the location. Public from nearby villages also arrived at the location after hearing the loud noise created by the crash. They too helped in the rescue operations by assisting people to exit the coaches as well as removing their respective luggage.
A senior official of the Northeast Frontier Railways mentioned that the location at which the incident took place was governed by the automated signalling system of the Indian Railways. He also expressed the probability of the goods train exceeding its stipulated speeds, leading to a severe accident. He however mentioned that the exact cause of the incident will be known only after the reports of a detailed investigation into the matter are released. It was also mentioned that people could be stuck inside the debris as rescue teams from the railways were attempting to make their way inside using gas cutters.
Several senior leaders including the President and the Prime Minister expressed sadness regarding the incident. He took to X to mention, “The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is on the way to the site of the mishap as well.”
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was one of the first to respond regarding the incident. She mentioned that the district magistrate, superintendent of police, and medical and disaster management teams were being deployed and that rescue operations were being conducted on a war footing.
Helpline numbers have been issued for the support of victims and their kin. The following are the helpline numbers. Sealdah: 033-23508794 and 033-23833326; Guwahati Station: 0361-2731621, 0361-2731622 and 0361-2731623; Katihar: 9002041952 and 9771441956 and Lumding: 03674263958, 03674263831, 03674263120, 03674263126 and 03674263858.
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