DARJEELING/GUWAHATI: At least five persons, including the driver, were today injured when the engine and two coaches of the famous toy train derailed in Darjeeling district.
Darjeeling District Magistrate Anurag Srivastava said the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) train derailed and five persons, including the driver, sustained minor injuries.
They have been admitted to Kurseong hospital. Earlier reports said 10 persons have been injured. The DHR toy train, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was going from Darjeeling to Siliguri when the accident occurred between Kurseong and Mahanadi at around 3.25 PM, North East Frontier Railway officials said in Guwahati.
DHR Director T Bhutia said in Darjeeling that the wheels of the diesel loco jumped the tracks while passing a turn near Paglajhora and two coaches derailed thereafter. The passengers were sent to their destination by road from Kurseong, which is around 32 km from Darjeeling town.
Railway engineers reached the spot to ascertain the cause of the accident, he said. A railway official said heavy rainfall in the hills could have caused the mishap.