Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reached the Bagdogra airport in West Bengal. He will soon leave for the Kanchenjunga Express train accident site in Darjeeling district, reports ANI.
#WATCH | West Bengal: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reaches Bagdogra airport.
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will visit the Kanchenjunga Express train accident site in Darjeeling district shortly. pic.twitter.com/T4lRIXiVtZ
— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2024
At least 15 passengers lost their lives, and 60 others sustained injuries when three rear coaches of the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express derailed on Monday morning following a collision with a goods train from behind in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district. The incident occurred around 8:30am, approximately 11 km from New Jalpaiguri station, a key hub in the Northeast Frontier Railway zone serving eastern and northeastern India.
Authorities are concerned that the casualty count may increase as multiple state and central agencies collaborate on the rescue operation, with fears that some passengers may still be trapped inside. Visuals from the scene depicted one of the train carriages hanging suspended in mid-air.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced compensation measures, including ₹10 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of each deceased victim, ₹2.5 lakh for those with grievous injuries, and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.
Railway officials indicated in a preliminary investigation that the accident resulted from the goods train’s loco pilot allegedly disregarding a signal. Tragically, both the loco pilot of the goods train and the guard of the passenger train were among those who lost their lives in the incident.
Subsequently, 19 trains have been cancelled thus far along the New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri Junction, Bagdogra, and Aluabari Road routes due to the significant impact of the train accident. The incident led to the blockage of both Up and Down lines, disrupting train services in the region and affecting long-distance travel connections from north Bengal and the northeastern states.
