5 dead after goods train hits Kolkata-bound Kanchanjunga Express
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Kolkata: Five passengers died and 25 others injured when Kanchanjunga Express, traveling from Silchar in Assam to Sealdah in Kolkata, collided with a freight train in Darjeeling district of West Bengal this morning.
The freight train hit the express train from behind near Rangapani station leaving two coaches of Kanchanjunga Express derailed in the impact, NDTV reported.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock at the accident on social media platform X , adding that ‘DM, SP, doctors, ambulances and disaster teams have been rushed to the site for rescue, recovery, medical assistance. Action on war-footing initiated."
A daily train, the Kanchanjunga Express connects Bengal with the Northeastern cities of Silchar and Agartala alongside linking the Northeast with the rest of the country.
The accident on this line can potentially impact the movement of several other trains, the report said.
The accident comes when the region is reporting scorching heat and Kanchanjunga Express is a vital train for tourists traveling to Darjeeling, seeking some relief at the hill station from sultry summer.
It is reported that the freight train overshot the signal crashing into the Kanchanjunga Express.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is reported to be monitoring the disaster response from Railways war room in Delhi.
The cargo van and the guard's coach at the rear side of the Kanchanjunga Express helped limit the human loss from the impact of the hit as the passenger compartments were further ahead.
The Railways have released helpline numbers for more details: 033-23508794 and 033-23833326 (Sealdah) and 03612731621, 03612731622 and 03612731623 at Guwahati.
