At least nine people were killed and over 50 injured as a goods train rammed into the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express on Monday morning near New Jalpaiguri, in West Bengal. Passengers of the ill-fated Express recounted the horror which they say was more than death. “The train was moving at a slow speed as it neared Rangapani, near Jalpaiguri. Suddenly, the train came to abrupt halt with an intense jolt and extremely loud sound. Some passengers were thrown of their births while some dashed against each other,” they recounted.
As per Union Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Commissioner of Railway Safety had started probe in the accident to ascertain its cause besides rescue work had been also completed.
Reports revealed, Chairperson of Railway Board Jaya Varma had hinted that the collision could have been a a result of human error on the part of the driver of Goods Train, who had died later in the hospital due to serious injuries.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the accident and said Kavach, an automatic train protection system developed by the Indian Railways, was required to be expanded for West Bengal state.
Reports revealed engine of the goods train was damaged while three coaches of the express train were derailed at the site of accident. Also, the goods train driver and assistant driver besides guard of Kanchenjungha Express had lost their lives in the accident.
Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the mishap ‘saddening’ on social mediate site X (earlier twitter) and extended condolences to those who lost their loved ones. The PM also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for families of the dead and Rs 50,000 for each of the injured passengers.
Union Minister Ashwinin Vaishnav later announced an enhanced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the dead, Rs 2.5 lakh for those with serious injuries besides Rs 50,000 rupees for those who suffered minor injuries.
Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that Modi government had made railways into a platform for ‘self-promotion’ and had failed miserably in ensuring safety of passengers.
