KOLKATA: Four persons were killed and over two dozen suffered injuries after Guwahati bound Bikaner Express via Patna was derailed and four of its coaches rolled into the ditch beside the railway tracks at Maynaguri in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district, around 680 km from Kolkata, on Thursday afternoon.
Sources in the railways said the number of casualties and injured might increase as the rescue team was yet to access the ill-fated coaches. Among the injured, condition of 15 was stated to be critical.
Rescued by locals, Manua Das,35, recounted what happened. "It was like a thunderbolt. We all fell on Each other. There was hue and cry all over,’" said Manua shivering in trauma. She was taken to a local hospital.
Fortune favored another passenger as he escaped unhurt. "Aisa laga jaise major earthquake aa gaya hai train me" (It was like an earthquake. appeared to us that a major earthquake has occurred inside the train), he recounted.
One of the rescue team members, who reached the site of derailment after 30 minutes, said a cloud of creams covered the accident spot.
"It was local people who launched the rescue operation. They came hearing a loud noise resulting from the derailment," he said.
Bablu Das, 45, a youth of the area where the mishap took place, said he and his friends dragged out many injured from the ill-fated coaches.
A senior technical officer of railways in New Delhi said that derailment of such grave magnitude generally occurs only after tracks get defected or not maintained properly.
The railway authorities ordered a high-level probe into the incident. Railway minister Aishwini Vaishnaw, railway board chairman V.K. Tripathi and other senior officials left Delhi to reach the accident spot. Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot to rescue the trapped commuters. The railway authorities announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the victims’ families, Rs 1 lakh for seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those who received minor injuries.
Railway officials said the mishap took place around 5 pm when the train was running at 40 km per hour.
"After Siliguri, there is speed restrictions as the railway tracks pass through elephant corridors in Dooars forest and many mishaps claiming lives of animals took place in the recent past," said a railway official, adding, "A total of 12 coaches of the train was derailed and four of it was badly damaged after falling into the ditch.’"
A total of 51 ambulances were sent to the spot. The hospitals, both state-run and private, in Jalpaiguri have been asked to take preparedness to receive the injured.
According to railway sources, around 1150 passengers were travelling on the train. Gas cutters were used to get access to the passengers who were trapped inside the derailed coaches. Accidents relief train with medical equipment headed towards the mishap site on Thursday evening.
Expressing his concern, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Spoke to Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the wake of the train accident in West Bengal. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly."
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inquired about the extent of casualties and damage in the middle of the Covid scenario meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Deeply concerned to hear about the tragic accident of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express in Maynaguri. Senior officers of the state government, district magistrate, superintendent of police and inspector general of north Bengal are supervising rescue and relief operations. Those injured will receive medical attention as early as possible," Mamata said in a statement.
Taking to Twitter, the railway minister Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, "Extremely pained by the loss of lives in the horrific train mishap in north Bengal today. Condolences to the bereaved. Praying for the injured. I spoke to the railway minister @AshwiniVaishnaw ji. We are monitoring the situation and shall offer possible assistance."