North East Express Train Derails in Bihar, 4 Dead and 30 Injured

North East Express Train Derails in Bihar, 4 Dead and 30 Injured

Buxar, Bihar: At least four people were killed and 30 others injured after the North East Express train derailed in Bihar on Wednesday night. The incident took place near Raghunathpur station in Buxar district around 9:53 p.m.

The train, which was on its way from Delhi to Guwahati, was carrying over 1,000 passengers at the time of the derailment. According to railway officials, 23 coaches of the train derailed.

After several coaches of the 12506 Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express derailed on Wednesday in the Bihar district of Buxar, at least four persons were killed and numerous more were injured. As a result, Indian Railways canceled ten trains and diverted 21 others.

At least two AC III Tier coaches had fallen over and four more had jumped the rails by the time the incident happened at 9:53 p.m.

Rescue and relief operations were immediately launched and the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. Five of the injured are said to be in critical condition.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered an inquiry into the incident. He has also announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs. 1 lakh to the seriously injured.

The train derailment has caused widespread disruption to rail traffic in the region. Several trains have been canceled or diverted.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation. However, preliminary reports suggest that a track fault may have caused it.

The North East Express is a popular train that connects Delhi to several major cities in the Northeast, including Guwahati, Dibrugarh, and Agartala. The train is often used by migrant workers and students from the Northeast traveling to and from Delhi.

The train derailment is a tragedy and has caused a great deal of pain and suffering to the victims’ families. It is important to learn from this incident and take steps to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

The office of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also declared that it is “closely monitoring the unfortunate derailment” of the train in Raghunathpur.

They also mentioned that they are in contact with other agencies and the Buxar district government.

The Chief Minister’s Office is in continuous contact with the Buxar District authorities as well as other agencies and is actively monitoring the regrettable derailment of Train Number 12506 at Raghunathpur.

— Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) October 11, 2023

Trains cancelled and diverted

Trains such as the Patna-Puri Special (03230), Sasaram-Ara Special (03620), Bhabua Road Express Special (03617), Patna–DDU Memu Pass Spl (03203), and Patna-Buxar Memu Pass Special (03375) have been canceled, according to a statement from the East Central Railway zone. In addition, two trains, the Patna-DDU Express (13209) and the DDU-Patna Express (13210), which both operate up to Ara, have been partially canceled.

Raxaul Antyodaya Express (15548), Dibrugarh Express (15945), Magadh Express (20802), Barauni Express (19483), Asansol SF Express (12362), Guwahati Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express (22450), and Brahmaputra Mail (15657) are just a few of the trains that have been diverted onto other routes.

The railways has also issued emergency helpline numbers for passengers. These are 9771449971 (Patna), 8905697493 (Danapur), 8306182542 (Ara), 8306182542 and 7759070004. Other helpline numbers for passengers are: New Delhi (01123341074, 9717631960), Anand Vihar Terminal (9717632791), Commercial Control Delhi Division ( 9717633779), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (9794849461, 8081206628), Commercial Control of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (8081212134), Pryagraj (0532-2408128, 0532-2407353, 0532-2408149) and Fatehpur (05180-222026, 05180-222025.

Rescue by the locals

On Wednesday at 7:40 am, the 23-coach 12506 North East Express departed from the Anand Vihar station in Delhi for its roughly 33-hour trip to Kamakhya, which is located around six kilometers from Guwahati.

“The train was traveling at a regular speed when all of a sudden there was a tremendous noise and a plume of smoke emerged from the train. We sped to the scene to investigate. According to local resident Hari Pathak, we observed that the train had derailed and the AC carriages had sustained the worst damage.

Locals could be seen on television running to the passengers’ aid and assisting them in exiting at least two overturned coaches. The images also showed a woman passenger being assisted out of a carriage by locals while she was in a state of shock.

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According to Jagdishpur SDPO Rajiv Chandra Singh, the accident has damaged train tracks, poles, and electric cables. He claimed that while some coaches lost their balance and toppled, none of them overturned, resulting in fewer casualties.

According to East Central Railway zone Chief Public Relations Officer Birendra Kumar, the accident happened less than 30 minutes after the train departed Buxar station on its way to Ara. “The derailment took place near Raghunathpur station where the train does not have a scheduled stoppage,” added the official.

After the event, rescue efforts were underway, and ambulances and medical personnel flocked to the scene.

Tejashwi Yadav, the deputy chief minister of Bihar, said in a statement that the departments of health and disaster management have been tasked with acting quickly to provide as many people as possible with relief as soon as possible.

“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,” he stated.