LIVE | Kanchanjunga Express accident: 9 killed, 41 injured, says Railway Ministry
The express, a daily train, was on its way to Sealdah in Kolkata from Tripura’s Agartala when the goods train hit it near Rangapani station
Seven passengers and two railway staffers were killed and 41 more injured in the Kanchanjunga Express accident in West Bengal's Darjeeling district on Monday (June 17), figures released by the Railway Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said nine people suffered grievous injuries and 32 simple or minor injuries. The "Up line" has been cleared and train operations have started, it said and added that "the 'Down line' will also be cleared shortly".
The Kanchanjunga express, going to Sealdah in West Bengal from Agartala in Tripura, was on the "Down line" and a goods train rammed into it from behind near the New Jalpaiguri station, around 600 km from Kolkata.
According to initial ground reports based on the statements of the local police, 15 people were said to have lost their lives in the accident. However, the ministry clarified that the number of deaths is nine, so far.
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#WATCH | West Bengal: Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar visits the Kanchenjunga Express train accident site in Darjeeling district pic.twitter.com/yXgIG7dUis
— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2024
#WATCH | Kanchenjunga Express train accident: Drone visuals from the spot in the Phansidewa area of the Darjeeling district, West Bengal Restoration work is underway here. pic.twitter.com/LeyqPG6POT
— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2024
Alleging that the railways have become "totally parentless", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that it was only keen on increasing fares and not improving passenger amenities.
Banerjee was speaking to the press at the Kolkata airport on the way to Siliguri to take stock of the situation following the train accident near Rangapani in which several people were killed.
"The railways have become totally parentless. Though the ministry is there, the old glory is missing. Only beautification is being done, but they do not care about passenger amenities. They are only keen on hiking fares," she claimed.
"You will only see them talk big. They also do not take care of the railway officers, technical, safety, and security personnel. I am with the railway employees and officers," she added.
She criticised the Railway Ministry, alleging that it was not implementing the anti-collision system properly, which could reduce the impact of such accidents. "The number of train accidents has gone up. Accidents are not in anyone's control, this is a fact. But, the railways is not implementing the anti-collision system properly," she said.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has started a probe into the cause of the accident.
He said that measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence of the circumstances that led to the accident.
He stressed that restoring train operations on the critical route connecting northeast India with the rest of the country is a top priority for the railways.
"The accident will be thoroughly investigated by the Commissioner of Railway Safety," Vaishnaw told reporters at the accident site in Rangapani near New Jalpaiguri station in Siliguri.
Vaishnaw confirmed that rescue operations have been completed.
The goods train that rammed into the Kanchanjunga Express between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal on Monday was allowed to cross all red signals as the automatic signalling had "failed", internal documents show.
The document, a written authority called TA 912, was issued to the driver of the goods train by the station master of Ranipatra, authorising him to cross all red signals, a railway source said.
"Automatic Signalling has failed and you are hereby authorized to pass all automatic signals between RNI (Ranipatra Railway Station) and CAT (Chattar Hat Junction)," says the authority letter.