Kanchanjunga Express Accident: Commissioner of railway safety to probe incident

Kanchanjunga Express Accident :

At least 9 passengers died, and 41 others were injured after three rear coaches of the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express derailed on Monday morning after a goods train collided with it from the rear in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district. Officials fear that the toll could rise as multiple agencies of the state and Centre work to rescue passengers who could still be trapped inside. Visuals from the site showed one of the bogies suspended in mid-air.

The accident occurred at around 8:30am and took place some 11 km from New Jalpaiguri station in north Bengal, one of the largest and busiest stations in the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in eastern and northeastern India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased ₹2.5 lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.

Railway officials said that a preliminary probe indicated that the loco pilot of the goods train disregarded the signal, which led to the mishap. The loco pilot of the goods train and the guard of the passenger train are among those killed in the accident.

Meanwhile, a total of 19 trains have been cancelled so far on the New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri Junction, Bagdogra and Aluabari Road routes in the wake of the major train accident.

The accident blocked both Up and Down lines and halted train movements in the area, affecting long-distance train services from north Bengal and the northeastern part of the country.