Kanchanjunga Express accident: Repair work underway; trains cancelled
Several trains have been cancelled or diverted after a Kanchanjunga Express was hit from behind by a goods train in Siliguri, Bengal, on Monday, killing nine people and wounding many more.
Meanwhile, the train arrived in Sealdah, Kolkata, at 3.16 a.m. on Tuesday, following restoration work. The train’s wrecked compartments remain at the collision scene, where repair work and efforts to retrieve the corpses continue.
The Kanchanjunga Express, which was hit from behind by a cargo train in Bengal’s Siliguri on Monday, arrived in Sealdah, Kolkata, at 3.16 a.m. after being restored. Meanwhile, workers continue to remove the train’s wrecked carriages from the crash site.
Also read: Opposition demands Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation over Kanchanjunga Express accident
Initially, the Railway Board stated that the goods driver overshot the signal, resulting in the major crash. However, internal documents eventually revealed that the automatic signaling system on the section where the tragedy occurred had been down since Monday morning, and the driver was permitted to cross red lights.
Passengers who survived the fatal crash were seen breaking down as the Kanchanjunga Express approached Sealdah in the early hours of Tuesday. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim was observed consoling a man passenger who was crying uncontrollably. Hakim also met other passengers as they left the station.
CM Mamata Banerjee visits injured passengers admitted at NBMCH
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the injured passengers at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Siliguri, criticized the Centre for neglecting the railways, claiming that they only promoted Vande Bharat trains.
She went on to say that as Railways Minister, she “ensured the anti-collision device was prepared and started” after seeing “2-3 major train accidents”.
Also read: Tragic Train Collision in West Bengal: 15 Dead, Over 60 Injured as Kanchanjunga Express Derails
Deepak Nigam, Divisional Railway Manager for Sealdah, stated that medics and Railways Protection Force teams have been deployed at the station to assist Kanchanjunga Express passengers. “We have ambulances on standby; if necessary, we will deploy them. “Medical booths are also available to assist passengers,” he told ANI.
Jaya Varma Sinha, chairperson of the Railway Board, stated during a news briefing on Monday that the crash occurred because the goods train driver overshot the signal and collided with the Kanchanjunga Express train. She also stated that a guard’s coach and two parcel vans from the Kanchanjunga Express were destroyed, averting harm to passenger coaches.
