Goods Train Hits Kanchanjunga Express, 9 Dead 50 Injured
9 died and over 50 were injured when the Kanchanjunga Express collided with a goods train near Rangapani station in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, with initial reports suggesting human error as the cause.
In a devastating incident, 9 people died and more than 50 got injured when the famous Kanchanjunga Express collided with a goods train near Rangapani station in Jalpaiguri city in West Bengal at around 9:00 am on 17th June 2024. The 9 dead included seven passengers and two railway staffers - loco pilot of the Amingaon (Assam)-Jharsuguda (Odisha) goods train, and another Railways staffer. According to the reports, the Kanchanjunga Express was on its way to Sealdah Railway Station in Kolkata from Agartala, Tripura when a goods train rammed into it from behind. Visuals from the site showed one of the bogies suspended in mid-air. The 2 -3 rear compartments of the Kanchanjunga Express were derailed because of the impact of the collision and the coach of the goods
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote about the accident on X (Twitter) and announced that doctors and disaster response teams had been rushed to the spot. Locals and multiple state & central agencies are simultaneously working to search and rescue passengers who could still be trapped inside. The injured are being taken to the hospitals for treatment. Chairman & CEO of the Railway Board, Jaya Varma Sinha said that the initial evidence suggests human error, possibly the disregard of the signal as the cause of the accident. Internal documents show that the goods train was allowed to cross all red signals as the automatic signaling had “failed”. The document, a written authority called T/A 912, was issued to the driver of the goods train by the station master of Ranipatra, authorizing him to cross all red signals between RNI (Ranipatra Railway Station) and CAT (Chattar Hat Junction)
However, as per railway rules mandate, when a loco pilot is given T/A 912 and he has to cross a signal at Red, then he needs to approach the signal at 10 kmph, bring his train to a stop as close as possible to the signal, wait for 1 minute during day time and 2 mins during night time at the signal and then proceed at 10 kmph. Also, after passing the signal, a loco pilot should ensure that a minimum distance of 150 meters is maintained between his train and the preceding train or any obstruction on the line. It is wrong to say that T/A 912 mandates that loco pilots cross red signals with normal speed. Hence enquiry is on, to check the exact cause of the accident. Minister of Railways, Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw also rushed to the site of the accident. Mr. Vaishnaw posted on X that ?10 lakh would be given to the next of kin of the deceased, ?2.5 lakh would be provided to the grievously injured and ?50,000 to those with minor injuries. PM Modi called the accident saddening and offered his condolences to the friends and families of the deceased and announced ?2 lakh would be given to the next of kin of each deceased and ?50,000 to all the injured from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund. President Droupadi Murmu also condoled the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. Around 19 trains got canceled because of the accident. Buses of North Bengal Rashtriya Paribahan Nigam were used to rescue the stranded passengers. Additional bus services from Siligur to Kolkata were run to meet the sudden high demand of the rescuers.
