 "Bihar train crash")
At least four people died and 70 others were injured in a train crash near Buxar in Bihar when as many as 21 coaches of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express were toppled on Wednesday night.
Two of its Tier-3 AC coaches were derailed and others were pushed off the tracks in the accident at 9:53 pm, officials of the East Central Railway said. "Four people have died and four have been seriously injured, railway officials said. A Railway Police Force official said at least 70 passengers have been injured and shifted to local hospitals. Those with serious injuries were rushed to AIIMS, Patna.
The 12506 North East Express had left the Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi at 7:40 am on Wednesday for Kamakhya, which is about six kilometres away from Guwahati.
Relief measures began immediately after the incident, with ambulances and doctors rushing to the site.
Alternative arrangements have been made to ferry passengers of the derailed train to their respective destinations, railway official said.
Also Read
Meanwhile, East Central Railway said that 95 trains had been diverted, 31 had been cancelled, five had been short-terminated, and two passenger trains had been rescheduled on the Patna-Mughalsarai (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction).
Fault in tracks likely cause for derailment: Preliminary investigation
Citing a preliminary investigation report, news agency PTI reported that fault in tracks was the possible cause of derailment of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express. The report, signed by six railway officials, including the driver of the ill-fated train, stated, "It seems that derailment occurred due to fault in tracks." The loco pilot was partially injured and his assistant suffered serious injuries in the accident Wednesday night. The cost of damage due to the accident was estimated at more than Rs 52 crore.
The loco pilot stated in the report that the train passed Raghunathpur station, near which the accident occurred, at a speed of 128 km per hour, but soon after it crossed the station section, it suffered a severe jolt at the rear end with excessive vibration. Due to this, the brake pipe pressure dropped suddenly and the train derailed at 9:52 pm.
The report also quoted a gateman and a pointsman at the Raghunathpur station as saying that they saw sparks coming from near the wheels of the train. The report stated the breath analyser test of the loco pilot and his assistant was negative.
The Indian Express (IE) reported that a prima facie probe by the Railways suggests the engine driver had to apply the emergency brakes when the train was running at a speed of 128 kmph at around 9:40 pm on Wednesday.
The train was set to stop next at Arrah railway station, about 40 km from Raghunathpur. Two AC compartments, which suffered the brunt of the damage, reported four deaths.
Four dead, 70 injured
Among the four passengers who died after the Northeast Express derailed near Raghunathpur railway station were a Delhi woman and one of her twin daughters
Raghunathpur Community Health Centre (CHC) head Dr GK Yadav told IE that Delhi resident Usha Bhandari (33), her daughter Akriti Bhandari (8) and Kishanganj resident Abu Zayed were brought dead. Usha and her daughter, who were near the gate of an AC coach, fell on the track and died as the gate opened after the emergency brakes were applied.
Thirty-three passengers were brought to government hospitals at Bhojpur, Buxar and Patna. Another 38 passengers were discharged from the community health centre in Raghunathpur after being treated for their injuries.
Ten patients who sustained injuries in the Raghunathpur train accident were admitted to Patna's AIIMS hospital in the night while two more were admitted to the hospital on Thursday morning, said Executive Director of AIIMS Patna, Gopal Krishna Pal. None of the patients required ventilator support and none of them suffered any life-threatening injuries.
Railway Ministry announces compensation
The Railway Ministry has announced ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased, Rs 2.50 lakh for those with grievous injuries and Rs 50,000 to each injured passenger. "Deepest condolences for the irreparable loss. Will find the root cause of the derailment," Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote on social media hours after the accident.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences for those who lost their lives in the train derailment incident in Bihar.
"Pained by the loss of lives due to the derailment of a few coaches of the North East Express. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for a quick recovery of the injured. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to all those affected," the Prime Minister's office quoted Narendra Modi as saying.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was closely monitoring the aftermath of the derailment of the North East Express train and was in contact with the district authorities in Bihar's Buxar district and other agencies involved in the rescue work.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those who died in the accident.
On X, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. Pointing to the accident earlier this year in June in Odisha's Balasore, Kharge said that the accountability of the Railway Ministry and the Central Government should be fixed in such types of incidents.
