KOLKATA: At least one person was killed and 50 were injured when 11 bogies of Guwahati-Bengaluru Express and a passenger train derailed after a collision this evening at Jamirghata in West Bengal's Malda district.
Malda GRP sources said one passenger was killed and 50 were injured.
Railway spokesperson Anil Kumar Saxena said the body of an elderly woman was found near the derailed engine of the Guwahati-Bengaluru Express.
The accident occurred between Gour Malda and Jamirghata stations in Malda division of Eastern Railway at 19:05 hours.
Two bogies and the engine of the Guwahati-Bengaluru Express, which was on its way to the southern city, derailed first and were hit by the Azimganj-Malda Town Passenger train leading to further derailment of bogies of both the trains, Railway sources said.
While six coaches - three sleeper class, two parcel and one luggage - and the engine of Guwahati-Bengaluru Express derailed, three general bogies and the engine of the passenger train also derailed, they said.
The passenger train was coming from the opposite direction on the second line when the driver applied emergency brakes after seeing the derailed coaches but could not stop it from brushing the coaches.
The accident has affected train services on Malda route with seven trains cancelled.
Helplines have been set up at Howrah (033-26411416), Malda (03512-283444) and Rampurhat (03461-255131) rail stations for the public.
Senior Eastern Railways officials are supervising rescue operation at the scene.
Local villagers immediately came to the accident spot and ferried the injured to clinics and hospitals.
Saptarshi Deb, a passenger on the Express train, said that he came out of the emergency exit after the accident.
Deb said that he heard screams of trapped passengers and saw some passengers with head injuries.