The accident, which took place on the main rail link from Kolkata to Siliguri, affected long-distance train services, officials also said.
At least nine people were killed and 25 others were injured on Monday after the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express was hit by a goods train in West Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri.
According to reports, three coaches at the back of the Kanchanjunga Express derailed between Neechbari and Rangapani stations under the Indian Railways’ Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone due to the impact of the goods train and fell to the side. Meanwhile, rescue work to get the trapped passengers out was affected by the heavy rain that has been lashing Siliguri since the morning.
“Five people, including the loco pilot of the Kanchenjunga Express, died on the spot. Twenty-five people are injured. We are trying to rescue those stuck. The local people are very helpful,” said Abhishek Roy, Additional SP, Kurseong, who is at the accident spot. The death toll rose to nine later in the day.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told The Indian Express the two coaches that derailed were parcel coaches. He said, according to their information, there were two casualties. “A goods train overshot and collided with the Kanchenjunga Express. Rescue operations are in full swing,” said Vaishnaw, who is in the war room in Delhi monitoring the situation.
In a post on X, Vaishnaw said rescue operations are “going on at war footing” and that Indian Railways, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are “working in close coordination”. The injured are being shifted to the hospital and senior officials have reached the accident spot, he added.
