KOLKATA : 15 passengers are now feared to be dead and 60 others are said to be injured after a Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express collided with a goods train on Monday morning near New Jalpaiguri.

Prima facie, the collision is suspected to have caused due to the goods train overshooting the signal (ignoring the red light) and hitting the Express. Meanwhile, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is expected to reach the accident site shortly.

This comes after the Opposition and several others mounted pressure over his resignation.  PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakhs from PMNRF to the kin of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakhs to the kin of the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries.

Unfortunate accident in NFR zone. Rescue operations going on at war footing. Railways, NDRF and SDRF are working in close coordination. Injured are being shifted to the hospital. Senior officials have reached site,” Vaishnaw said in a post.

 The situation is serious. The incident occurred when a goods train rammed into Kanchenjunga Express,” says Abhishek Roy, Additional SP of Darjeeling Police. Kanchanjunga Express derailed after being hit by the goods train from behind. Three bogies have been derailed.

The divisional railway manager (DRM) of North Frontier Railway’s Katihar division said unconfirmed reports suggest that a few persons may have been injured in the accident.

The two rear compartments were derailed under the impact of the collision from behind by the locomotive of the goods train near Rangapani station, about seven km from North Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri station, he said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a post on X, said “Shocked to learn, just now, about a tragic train accident, in Phansidewa area of Darjeeling district.”  DM, SP, doctors, ambulances and disaster teams have been rushed to the site for rescue, recovery, medical assistance.

Action on war footing initiated.  The 13174 Kanchanjunga Express was bound for Sealdah from Agartala when the accident occurred around 9 am, the railway official said.

 List of helpline numbers:

GHY Station :  03612731621, 03612731622, 03612731623

LMG helpline no.  03674263958, 03674263831, 03674263120, 03674263126, 03674263858

Help Desk number at Sealdah in connection with Kanchanjunga train collision:- 033-23508794, 033-23833326

Help line Number at Katihar : 09002041952, 9771441956

KIR station :  6287801805

‘Deeply distressing’: President Murmu on loss of lives in West Bengal train accident

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday condoled the loss of lives in a train accident in West Bengal and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. “The news of the loss of lives due to a train accident in Darjeeling, West Bengal is deeply distressing.

My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and success of relief and rescue operations,” Murmu said in a post on X.