By- Banibrata Datta
Editor FTV NewsAgency
Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express Train en-route to Guwahati derailed in Raghunathpur, 4 Spot dead and around 100 injured.
Photos & Visuals from the Bihar Raghunathpur station in Buxar, where 21 coaches of the North East Express train derailed last night. Restoration work is underway.
The derailment of the North East Express on Wednesday around 9:30 pm in Bihar’s Buxar, near Raghunathpur station, left at least six dead and several others injured.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the rescue operations have now been completed. Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Twitter, “Will find the root cause of derailment.” Indian Railways has cancelled ten trains and diverted 21 after the accident.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X, “A relief train has already departed Raghunathpur from Kamakhya Junction to bring back stranded passengers of Train 12506.”
Here are the recent updates in the North East Express train accident in Bihar:
1. Six passengers lost their lives, as reported by sources citing Bhojpur SP Pramod Kumar.
2. Around 100 people have sustained injuries. Hospitals at Ara, Buxar and Patna including PMCH, AIIMS and IGIMS in the state capital have been asked to keep beds ready for the injured.
3. Evacuation and rescue operations were completed and all coaches had been checked, as Ashwini Vaishnaw informed. Indian Railways announce Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia for kin.
Where and when did the North East Express train accident happen?
The superfast train was a Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express which derailed near Raghunathpur station in Bihar’s Buxar district on Wednesday night.
The 23-coach 12506 North East Express had departed from Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi at 7:40 am on Wednesday for its nearly 33-hour journey to Kamakhya, about six kilometres away from Guwahati. According to the latest reports, more than 12 coaches had derailed.
How did the North East Express train accident happen?
As per a local resident, Hari Pathak, the train had been coming at a normal speed but suddenly a loud thud was heard and “a plume of smoke rose out of the train.”
“We saw that the train had derailed and the AC coaches were the most damaged,” Pathak said.
However, Mohammad Nasir, who was in the B 7 coach of the ill-fated train, said that “the train had overturned at a high speed”. Nasir was travelling with his 25-year-old cousin, Abu Jaid.
Talking to FTV NewsAgency, he says, “We were travelling in B 7 coach of North East Express. After having dinner, we talked and then were trying to sleep when something happened. We were suddenly thrown off our seats. I was shocked and initially couldn’t understand anything.”
“When I tried to look around, I couldn’t find my cousin. And then I found him dead. He was just 25,” Nasir added.
Jagdishpur SDPO Rajiv Chandra Singh said that some coaches lost balance and fell but none of them overturned due to which there are less casualties. He added that electric wires, poles and rail tracks have been damaged due to the accident.
What have officials said in the aftermath?
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav issued a statement saying that the departments of disaster management and health have been asked to take immediate steps to ensure the quickest possible relief.
Yadav said, “I have also spoken to the district magistrates of Buxar and Bhojpur (where Ara is headquartered) with instructions to reach the site at the earliest and speed up relief work. In Sub-Divisional Hospital Jagdishpur and Shahpur Hospital, District Bhojpur, medical officers and other health workers are ready for rescue and relief operations. Ambulances from Rohtas, Buxar and Bhojpur districts have been sent to the spot.”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We are closely monitoring the situation and are establishing contact with local authorities and other agencies.”
Several trains have been cancelled and diverted even as efforts are underway to clear the railway tracks. The Railways have also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of the Victims.
