Horror on tracks: 8 dead, 46 hurt as goods train rams Kanchanjungha Exp near NJP
Times of India | 18 June 2024
Siliguri/Kolkata: Eight passengers died and 46 were injured when a fast-moving goods train rear-ended the Kolkata-bound Kanchanjungha Express — one of the most popular trains for Kolkatans headed for the hills — near Siliguri in north Bengal on Monday morning. Five of the eight who lost their lives were in the fourth-last bogie, a general compartment.The other three dead were the two loco pilots of the goods train and the guard of the passenger train. A co-pilot of the goods loco is in hospital.
The toll would have been a lot higher, had the guard’s compartment and two parcel vans at the rear of the express not absorbed most of the impact, said railway sources.
The loco pilot of the goods train had disregarded a signal, said Railway Board chairman & CEO Jaya Varma Sinha. Sources on the ground, however, said the automatic signalling system on the stretch had been malfunctioning for some time and “paper signals” were being used, instead. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who reached the spot, promised a thorough investigation by the Commission of Railway Safety.
The tragedy was eerily similar to the train accident that happened almost exactly a year ago — on June 2, 2023 — near Balasore, where a speeding Coromandel Express had dashed into a stationary goods train. The derailed coaches had come in the way of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, turning into a three-train pileup that killed nearly 300 people.
Monday’s accident happened around 8.55am between Rangapani and Nijbari stations, around 11km from New Jalpaiguri (NJP). The train had left NJP and was headed to Sealdah via Kishanganj. Passengers said the train was moving extremely slowly when the goods train slammed into it. Following the accident, the derailed compartments fell on the adjoining track, severing train movement between NJP and Kolkata and cutting off the rail connection to the north-east.
The first responders were local residents. Police, railway and administrative officials reached the spot later, along with NDRF personnel. Heavy rain in Siliguri since morning hampered rescue work. A ‘war room’ has been set up at NJP to coordinate rescue operations.
PM Narendra Modi spoke to railway officials. The PMO first announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of each casualty but Vaishnaw later hiked it to Rs 10 lakh for deaths, Rs 2.5 lakh for serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries.
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said the railways only wanted to increase fares but did not care about increasing passenger safety. “The railways have become totally parentless. Though the ministry is there, the old glory is missing. Only beautification is being done, but they do not care about passenger amenities. They are only keen on hiking fares,” she claimed. “You will only see them talk big. They also do not take care of railway officers, technical, safety and security personnel. I am with railway employees and officers,” she added.
The casualty would have been several times higher but for the presence of the guard’s compartment and two parcel wagons at the rear end of Kanchanjunga Express. Though a general compartment before the parcel van was badly hit, the presence of these bogies helped contain the death toll, sources on the ground said.
A passenger who was travelling on the train said there was a huge jolt, accompanied by a loud noise, during which everyone was thrown forward. “Before we could understand anything, passengers started running here and there. There were loud screams and noises. We got off the train and ran towards the rear. What we saw left us shocked. One bogie had turned over, another appeared to be hanging in the air. A third was badly mangled,” the passenger said.