15 killed in Bengal train tragedy

New Jalpaiguri/Kolkata/New Delhi: At least 15 people were killed and over 60 injured after a goods train rammed into the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Monday, a senior railway official said.

Among the deceased were the pilot of the goods train and the guard of the passenger

train, he said.The injured passengers were admitted to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for treatment. The collision occurred near Rangapani station, 30 km from New Jalpaiguri station, causing four rear compartments of Kanchanjunga Express to derail due to the impact by the goods train’s locomotive at 8.55 am, the official said.

Soon after the accident, Railway Board chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha said the collision took place because the goods train disregarded the signal. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has started a probe into the cause of the accident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences, calling the incident in West Bengal tragic and stating his prayers for the swift recovery of the injured. In a post on X, Modi said the “railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones”.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reached the spot riding pillion on a motorbike as the road was narrow for bigger vehicles. He took stock of relief operations and announced compensation for the injured and kin of the deceased.

While Rs 10 lakh would be given to the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh would be provided to the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries, Vaishnaw posted on X.

Vaishnaw said the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has started a probe into the cause of the accident and added that steps will be taken to prevent a recurrence of the circumstances that led to the accident.

He stressed that restoring train operations on the critical route connecting northeast India with the rest of the country is a top priority for the railways.

“The collision happened because the goods train disregarded the signal and hit the Kanchanjunga Express, which was on its way to Sealdah from Agartala,” Railway Board Chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha told reporters in Delhi soon after the accident.

According to a passenger, the train stopped abruptly with a sharp jerk accompanied by a loud sound. Upon disembarking, he saw that the goods train had hit their rake from behind. “We were having tea when the train stopped suddenly with a jerk,” he said.

A pregnant woman, traveling with her family, said she fell off her seat upon impact. “It felt like an earthquake. It took us some time to collect ourselves and understand what happened,” she said, sitting with her family in one of the air-conditioned sleeper coaches.