7 killed, 50 injured as train jumps tracks near Jalpaiguri

JALPAIGURI: At least seven people were killed and over 50 injured, several of them critically, after 12 bogies of the Bikaner-Guwahati Bikaner Exp-ress derailed near Maynaguri, around 12km from Jalpaiguri town and 90km from Alipurduar Junction, in north Bengal around 5pm on Thursday.
The deaths were confirmed by Jalpaiguri district magistrate Moumita Godara Basu. Around 250 passengers have been rescued from the wreckage.With several passengers still trapped inside two badly mangled bogies, officials fear the toll could rise further. There were 1,053 passengers on board, said a North East Frontier Railway official. Doctors at Jalpaiguri district hospital, where the more seriously injured were admitted, said the condition of at least 10 passengers was critical.
It initially appeared that a crack in the tracks caused the accident. Track repairs were reportedly under way on the stretch. A high-level railway safety inquiry has been ordered. Railway board chairman V K Tripathi and the director general (safety) have rushed to the spot. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is expected to reach on Friday.
Vaishnaw also announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to each family who lost a loved one, Rs 1 lakh each for the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was discussing the Covid situation with state chief ministers, spoke to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee separately, inquiring about the accident after the news broke during the meeting. He also spoke to the rail minister. “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 later tweeted.
Banerjee briefly exited the PM’s meeting to give instructions to the district administration on relief and rescue work. She, too, issued a tweet: “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.”
Thursday’s accident was the Indian Railways’ first instance of passenger deaths in nearly 34 months since March 22, 2019.
Local residents, passengers who escaped unhurt, railway officials from Jalpaiguri and New Domohani stations and local firefighters were the first respondents.