Kanchanjungha Express Accident: At Least 9 Dead, Over 40 Injured; Commissioner Of Railway Safety To Conduct Probe

• As the latest development in the massive Kanchanjungha Express mishap that killed many on Monday, internal documents clearly notified that the the goods train that rammed into the Kanchanjunga Express between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal was allowed to cross all red signals as the automatic signalling had 'failed'. Read full report

• Kavach, the Indian-made safety system which designed to help prevent accidents if two trains are moving on the same line, was missing on the Darjeeling tracks where the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express collided with a goods train on Monday. Read full report.

• A direction reversal at Lumding in Assam placed the coaches which were initially at the front at the rear end of the train. A passenger in a sleeper coach located in the middle of the rake told the news agency that the "affected coaches were in the front till Lumding." Read full report.

Five passengers died while several others were injured after the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express collided with a goods train on Monday morning at Ruidhasa near Rangapani station under Siliguri subdivision of West Bengal's Darjeeling district.

The goods train reportedly rammed into it the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express. Rescue operations are currently underway. READ FULL STORY

Sealdah Eastern Railway has set up a control desk at Rangapani station after the Kanchenjunga Express train was rammed by a goods train at Ruidhasa in Darjeeling district, killing at least five people. A rescue operation is underway.

Five passengers have died, 20-25 are injured in the accident, Abhishek Roy, Additional SP of Darjeeling Police, said, adding that the "situation is serious."

The incident occurred when a goods train rammed into Kanchenjunga Express, Abhishek Roy said. The accident took place at around 9 am.

The 13174 Kanchanjunga Express from Agartala collided with the goods train near Rangapani close to New Jalpaiguri station.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on microblogging platform X that the district magistrate (DM), superintendent of police (SP), doctors, ambulances and disaster teams have been rushed to the site for rescue, recovery and medical assistance, adding that "action on war-footing" has been initiated.

Five passengers died while several others were injured after the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express collided with a goods train on Monday morning at Ruidhasa near Rangapani station under Siliguri subdivision of West Bengal's Darjeeling district.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted on microblogging platform X, "Unfortunate accident in NFR zone. Rescue operations going on at war footing. Railways, NDRF and SDRF are working in close coordination. The injured are being shifted to the hospital. Senior officials have reached the site."

Visuals from the spot showed a wagon of Kanchenjunga Express train suspended in the air after it collided with the goods train.

Kanchenjunga Express train accident: North Bengal Rashtriya Paribahan Nigam (NBSTC) chairman Partha Pratim Roy said 10 buses NBSTC have left for the accident site to rescue stranded passengers of the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express.

"Also, additional bus services from Siliguri-Kolkata from Siliguri Tenzing Norgay bus terminus will be operational from this afternoon," Partha Pratim Roy said.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is leaving for Darjeeling to visit the Kanchanjungha Express train accident site. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier today said on X: “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.”

Three rear compartments of the Kanchanjunga Express derailed under the impact of the collision by the locomotive of the goods train from behind, a police officer said.

The divisional railway manager (DRM) of North Frontier Railway's Katihar division said the 13174 Kanchanjunga Express was bound for Sealdah from Agartala when the accident occurred.

Indian Railways officials in Delhi are monitoring the situation at the accident site in West Bengal as five passengers have died and many are injured after a goods train rammed into Kanchenjunga Express train in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal on Monday.

Rescue operations are underway at war footing after five people died and several other passengers were injured in the collision of Kanchanjungha Express with a goods train in Darjeeling on Monday.

Visuals from Kanchanjungha Express and goods train collision spot near West Bengal's New Jalpaiguri below

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.

At least five persons died and around 30 others were injured after a goods train collided with the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express near Rangapani station in West Bengal, police said.

"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.

Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Police are present at Kanchanjungha Express train accident site in Ruidhasa, Darjeeling district of West Bengal; Five passengers have died in the accident so far.

The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X, offering condolences to those who lost their loved ones. "I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. "Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected," PM Modi said.

The Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, is on the way to the site of the mishap as well, PM Modi said.

Death toll in West Bengal train accident has risen to 15, while 60 people have been injured in the incident, news agency PTI cited an official. A goods train collided with the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express near Rangapani station in West Bengal on Monday.

Three rear compartments of the express train derailed under the impact of the collision from behind by the locomotive of the goods train, railway officials said.

Kanchanjungha Express Train Accident: Jaya Varma Sinha, Chairman & CEO Railway Board, informed that driver and assistant driver of the goods train and guard of the Kanchanjungha Express train have died in the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced ex gratia amount of Rs 2 lakhs from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to each injured in the railway accident in West Bengal.

Chairman & CEO Railway Board Jaya Varma Sinha said prime facie human error seems to be the cause, adding that the first indications suggest that this is a case of signal disregard.

"Kavach needs to proliferated, planned for West Bengal," said Jaya Varma Sinha.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit the train accident site in New Jalpaiguri to take stock of relief operations, officials said.

Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday condoled the loss of lives in the train accident in West Bengal, and wished for speedy recovery of those injured.

At least 15 people have died and around 60 others injured after a goods train collided with the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express near Rangapani station in West Bengal, police said.

"The train accident that happened in New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal is very sad. I express my condolences to those who lost their family members in this unfortunate accident and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said on X in Hindi and Bangla.

According to Railway PRO, the death toll is in the Bengal train accident is at eight. News agency PTI, however, has cited officials saying that 15 people have died in the accident. "A special train left from there (accident site to Sealdah) at 1240 hours. Most of the passengers are from Malda and Bolpur. Most of the passengers are safe," said PRO Kaushik Mitra, Chief PRO, Eastern railway on West Bengal train accident.

West Bengal Darjeeling MP Raju Bista visited the train accident site in Ruidhasa and said, "The train coaches which were in good condition have been sent to Sealdah by attaching an engine to them. Our priority is to clear the track. NDRF and SDRF present at the spot."

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, reacting to the Kanchanjungha Express accident, said: "I have spoken to the Railway minister regarding the accident. The train was from Tripura & passes through Assam. There will be many passengers from Assam. We remain concerned about the passengers...Whatever needs to be done will be done..."

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the train accident in West Bengal's Darjeeling district.

The minister, who has left for West Bengal to take stock of relief operations after the accident, also announced a sum of Rs 2.5 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

At least 19 trains have been cancelled after the Kanchanjungha Express train met with an accident in the Phansidewa area of the Darjeeling district. Eight people have died and several others got injured in the accident.

Odisha Governor Raghubar Das and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the death of passengers in the Kanchanjungha Express train accident in neighbouring West Bengal on Monday.

BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik has also expressed grief over the death of some passengers in the train accident.

TMC leader Santanu Sen, creating to the Kanchanjunga Express train accident, said the central government has increased the fare of trains, done privatisation of the rail department, lifted concessions for senior citizens, and has not implemented the anti-collision system in trains brought by Mamata Banerjee.

"Railways must take the responsibility of these frequent train accidents," said TMC leader Santanu Sen.

Slamming the Modi government for "utter mismanagement" of the Railway Ministry, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said, "Extremely distressed by the Kanchanjunga Express train collision accident in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, where many people have lost their lives and several have been injured."

"The scenes of the accident are painful. Our heart goes out to the families of the victims. In this hour of grief, we express our solidarity and condolences to each one of them. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured. Immediate and full compensation must be provided to the victims," he demanded.

The automatic signalling system between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal, where a goods train hit Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express in the rear, was defective since 5.50 in the morning, according to a railway source cited by news agency PTI.

At least eight people have died in the incident which took place near Rangapani station under the Siliguri subdivision of West Bengal's Darjeeling district.

"Train No 13174 (Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express) departed Rangapani station at 8:27 am and stopped between Ranipatra railway station and Chattar Hat due to automatic signalling failure from 5:50 am," the source told PTI.

According to another railway official, when the automatic signalling system fails, the station master issues a written authority called TA 912, which authorises the driver to cross all red signals in the section because of the defect.

Kanchanjunga Express train accident: Darjeeling DM Dr Preeti Goyal, after visiting North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, said "45 persons are admitted, two of them are undergoing surgery. Best doctors are looking after them."

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to shortly visit the Kanchenjunga Express train accident site in Darjeeling district.

On Kanchenjunga Express train accident, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Railway Ministry does not care about passenger amenities. "They don't even care about railway officials, railway engineers, railway technical staff and workers. They are also in trouble. Their old pension has been withdrawn," Mamata Banerjee said.

"I am completely with the railway employees and railway officials. They are trying their best. But this government only cares about the election. How to go for hacking, how to go for manipulation, how to go for rig the election... I think they should give more time for the governance, not for utterance," she said.

Railways’ ‘Kavach’ or anti-train collision system was not in place along the Guwahati-Delhi route, where a goods train collided with the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express in the rear on Monday, a top official said.

Chairperson of the Railway Board Jaya Varma Sinha said that Kavach, an automatic anti-collision train protection system, is being planned for the route. "It is not there right now," she said.

Know About Anti-Collision System 'Kavach'

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reached the train accident site in Bengal's Rangapani to take stock of the situation. Eight people have died and several others were injured after Kanchanjungha Express derailed following a hit by a goods train in Rangapani which comes under Darjeeling district of Bengal.

The tragic train accident in West Bengal on Monday killed at least eight people and left several injured, but a scheduled operational procedure at Lumding, which involves a direction reversal for trains passing through the station, turned into a life-saving event for some passengers.

The switch between coaches might have changed the fate of the passengers in the front and last coaches of the 13174 Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express. READ FULL STORY

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reached the site of the train collision at Rangapani near New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal on a bike on Monday afternoon and took stock of the situation.

Ashwini rode pillion on a motorbike for some distance to the accident site as the road was narrow for bigger vehicles to move.

As per a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official, a goods train collided with the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express from behind near Rangapani station on Monday morning, resulting in fatalities and injuries to several individuals.

Kanchenjunga Express train accident: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri and and met those injured in the train mishap on Monday.

The death toll in the Kanchanjungha Express train accident has reportedly risen to nine. The deceased included driver and assistant driver of the goods train that hit Kanchanjungha Express from behind, causing some of its wagons to derail, and guard of the passenger.

The driver of the goods train that rammed into the Kanchanjunga Express between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal on Monday was not at fault, documents suggested.

The goods train 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.

According to an internal document accessed by news agency PTI, 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)," said the authority letter.

According to the source, the automatic signalling system between RNI and CAT was defective since 5.50 am Monday.

"Train No. 13174 (Sealdah-Kanchanjunga Express) departed Rangapani station at 8:27 am and stopped between RNI and CAT. The reason for the stopping of the train is unknown" the source told PTI.

According to another railway official, when the automatic signalling system fails, the station master issues a written authority called TA 912 that authorises the driver to cross all red signals in the section because of the defect. "The station master of Ranipatra had issued TA 912 to Train No 1374 (Sealdah-Kanchanjunga Express)," the source cited in the PTI report said.

Read full report

Commenting on the Kanchanjungha Express mishap today, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, "When I was the Railways Minister, I saw 2-3 major train accidents after that I ensured that the anti-collision device was prepared and started. After that collision of trains stopped. What is happening in the railways today, no one knows...There are several issues in the Railways Ministry. Separate Railways budget has been stopped and this department is not getting enough importance now...I know A-Z of the Railways, nothing new has been done. The new metro and railway stations are because of my time. Just see the 2020 vision, I gave money for everything..."

Regarding the Kanchanjunga Express train accident, former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said, "It's a very unfortunate and sad day, and my heart goes out to the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones. Having said that, I think we should wait for the enquiry report to come, because before that we will not know what really has happened. Till then, I think all of us in the political arena should just prioritise on saving lives and those unfortunate people who are injured, we need to make sure they get the best medical attention."

After meeting the injured at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, BJP MP Ananta Maharaj said,"The condition is better now. This incident should not have happened but there is a need for deliberation. I will tell the government and Railway ministry that our railway workers need awareness."

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has started a probe into the cause of the accident in which a goods train rammed into the Kanchanjunga Express from behind in West Bengal's Rangapani on Monday morning.

Vaishnaw added 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.

The unaffected portion of Kanchanjunga Express reaches Malda town in West Bengal.

At least nine people were killed and 41 injured after a goods train rammed into the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express from behind in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district earlier today.

Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said, "Till now, I have the information that almost 47 patients have been admitted to North Bengal Medical College. Out of them, three are in the ICU and one child is in PICU. These four patients are a little bit serious. We are praying for their speedy recovery. Other have faced minor kind of injuries."