Five killed, several injured as Guwahati Bikaner Express derails in Bengal

By Smith On Jan 13, 2022

In a major railway accident, at least five people were killed and several injured persons were sent to Jalpaiguri district and Maynaguri hospitals following derailment of at least 10 coaches of Guwahati Bikaner Express at Domohani area near Maynaguri in North Bengal. The accident took place between stations New Domohani – New Maynaguri at around 5PM on Thursday evening, railway sources said. Several people are still trapped inside the coaches.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening took stock of the accident from Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote: “Spoke to Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the wake of the train accident in West Bengal. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly.” He also spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while both were in a Covid review meeting.

An ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs has been announced for the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for those who are severely injured, and Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries, the officials added. Several helplines have been started by the Railways.

WB CM Mamata Banerjee also took to social media and tweeted, “Deeply concerned to hear about the tragic accident of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express in Maynaguri. Senior Officers of the State Government, DM/SP/IG North Bengal are supervising rescue and relief operations. Those injured will receive medical attention, as early as possible.”

A high-level railway safety inquiry has been ordered into the accident and the team will reach tomorrow morning. The Union railway Minister will also reach the accident spot in North Bengal tomorrow morning. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted, “In an unfortunate accident, 12 Coaches of Bikaner – Guwahati Exp. derailed near New Maynaguri (West Bengal) this evening. Personally monitoring the situation for swift rescue operations.”

The Railway officials have rushed to the spot while disaster management and rescue teams have already reached. However, initial rescue work was started by the locals.

“Three bodies were recovered and over 20 injured after four bogies of the Bikaner Express train derailed in West Bengal on Thursday evening, said District Magistrate of Jalpaiguri, Moumita Godhara Basu in the evening. Several passengers are critical and have been rushed to various state-run superspeciality hospitals in Jalpaiguri and Maynaguri.

Adhir Sharma, Director General of Eastern Railways, said, “The incident happened at around 5PM. The exact casualty is yet to be received.”

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