Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derails near Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri, Jan 13: A passenger train, Bikaner Guwahati Express has derailed near Jalpaiguri-Moynaguri. At least four to five bogies of the train have derailed. Rescue operations ate undergoing at the incident spot.

The incident took place after it crossed Moynaguri and the train was going from Patna to Guwahati. Alipurduar DRM, SP & DM all rushed to the spot.

Preliminary information indicates that several passengers are believed to have suffered injuries in the derailment. The injured are being taken to the Mainaguri and Jalpaiguri district hospitals.

Videos from the spot show derailed bogies lying on top of one another.

Railway Police have already launched a search and rescue operation at the site of the derailment. A team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) is also on its way to the spot.

Indian Railways has issued an emergency number (8134054999) and as many as 20 ambulances have been rushed to the scene.

All hospitals in North Bengal have been directed to remain on standby.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took stock of the situation in a phone call with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

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Update:

  • Three dead as Guwahati-bound Bikaner Express derails in WB’s Jalpaiguri
  • Multiple bogies of the Bikaner Express (15633) have derailed in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. Three people have been confirmed dead in the accident. Some estimates suggest that as many as 12 coaches suffered damage when the derailment took place.
  • 12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express (15633) have derailed in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. Four people have been confirmed dead in the accident. Railways Minister Ashwini Viashnaw said he is personally monitoring the situation and has apprised PM Narendra Modi about the rescue operations.
  • An ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh has been announced for the kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for those who receive grievous injuries and Rs 25,000 for those who suffer simple injuries.
  • The train that started from Bikaner in Rajasthan was heading to Guwahati in Assam via Patna when the accident took place near Maynaguri in Jalpaiguri around 5.15 pm on Thursday. Maynaguri was not one of the train’s 34 stoppages and the Bikaner Express was merely passing Jalpaiguri at the time of the incident.