Bengal train accident:
Officials added that long-distance train services were impacted by the disaster, which happened on the important rail route between Kolkata and Siliguri.
Eleven kilometers from New Jalpaiguri station, in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, the Kanchanjunga Express from Agartala headed towards Sealdah was struck from behind by a cargo train, resulting in nine fatalities and at least forty injuries. Monday at 8:55 a.m. was the time of the occurrence. Among the deceased are seven passengers, the loco pilot of the goods train traveling from Amingaon, Assam, to Jharsuguda, Odisha, and an additional Railways employee.
The collision had such an impact that the back three cars of the Kanchanjunga Express derailed under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone, between Rangapani and Chhatarhat stations.
Rescue operations started right away, but because Siliguri had been experiencing a lot of rain since the morning, it took some time to free the stranded people.
Bengal train accident: Abhishek Roy, Additional Superintendent of Police, Kurseong, stated at the scene of the accident that “the local people were very helpful.”
When he heard a loud noise, 32-year-old Muhammad Momirul was among the first to run to the accident scene. Eid was being celebrated by many in his area, and the moment the incident happened, the celebrations came to an abrupt end.
The passenger train’s wheel crushed the locomotive pilot. He was already dead. Momirul remarked, “I regret not being able to save a man who died holding my hand.” The first responders were about 150 residents of Chotonirmal hamlet, which is situated directly below the railroad tracks.
A “shock of a lifetime” for those on board the Kanchanjunga Express:
The long-distance train services were also impacted by the accident, which happened on the important rail link connecting Kolkata and Siliguri. This is the biggest number of fatalities from a railway catastrophe since the Balasore train crash of the previous year, which claimed 296 lives.
The two coaches that derailed on Monday were package coaches, according to a statement made by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the morning. The Kanchenjunga Express was struck by a cargo train that overshot. Rescue efforts are well underway, according to Vaishnaw, who was keeping an eye on the situation while in the war room in Delhi. At a later time, he headed for the accident scene.
According to him, the rescue was carried out “in close coordination” by the Indian Railways, the National Disaster Response Force, and the State Disaster Response Force.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also went to the scene, criticized the Center for the disaster, claiming that the Railways had jeopardized passenger safety by failing to install the Kavach, or anti-collision mechanism, in every one of its trains.
Bengal train accident:
Accidents do occur; that much is certain. However, I had put in place an anti-collision mechanism when I was the Railway Minister; where is it now? These days, they go by a different name for it (Kavach). Nevertheless, giving passengers raksha kavach, or protective shields, is my top priority. This is not an appraisal. However, Banerjee acknowledged that “it is a fact that there is no focus on passenger amenities” before heading to the scene of the collision.
The budget for railroads is no longer kept separate. The department has changed over the years. It’s called the Ministry, but it’s become stale. Trains no longer have parents. Passengers and railroad employees are not taken care of, despite the spectacular inaugurations and beautifications such as fashion shows, the speaker stated.
Bengal train accident: Vaishnaw stated, “At this time, our focus is on restoration (of train services) as the rescue operation has been completed,” after arriving at the accident scene later in the day. The primary line is this:. Politics has no place at this time. Rescue and restoration should be the only priorities. The safety of our passengers is our primary concern. We’ll go into more depth about this later. Allow me to first assess the state of the restoration and rescue efforts. I’ll meet the injured people too.
The trains heading towards New Jalpaiguri had resumed service on the “up line” at 5.40 pm, and the restoration of the “down line” was scheduled to occur soon.
He declared that an inquiry would be conducted to determine what caused the mishap. The inquiry will be conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Actually, the inquiry has already started. The entire data log is in our possession. We’ll identify the mistakes that caused this disaster and make sure they don’t happen again,” he declared.