Kolkata: At least one person was killed
and 50 were injured when 11 bogies of Guwahati-Bengaluru
Express and a passenger train derailed after a collision this
evening at Jamirghata in West Bengal's Malda district.
Malda GRP sources said one passenger was killed and 50
were injured.
Railway spokesperson Anil Kumar Saxena said the body
of an elderly woman was found near the derailed engine of the
Guwahati-Bengaluru Express.
The accident occurred between Gour Malda and
Jamirghata stations in Malda division of Eastern Railway at
19:05 hours.
Two bogies and the engine of the Guwahati-Bengaluru
Express, which was on its way to the southern city, derailed
first and were hit by the Azimganj-Malda Town Passenger
leading to further derailment of bogies of both the trains,
Railway sources said.
While six coaches - three sleeper class, two parcel
and one luggage - and the engine of Guwahati-Bengaluru Express
derailed, three general bogies and the engine of the passenger
train also derailed, they said.
The passenger train was coming from the opposite
direction on the second line when the driver applied emergency
brakes after seeing the derailed coaches but could not stop it
from brushing the coaches.
The accident has affected train services on Malda
route with seven trains cancelled.
Helplines have been set up at Howrah (033-26411416),
Malda (03512-283444) and Rampurhat (03461-255131) rail
stations for the public.
Senior Eastern Railways officials are supervising
rescue operation at the scene.
Local villagers immediately came to the accident spot
and ferried the injured to clinics and hospitals.
Saptarshi Deb, a passenger on the Express train, said
that he came out of the emergency exit after the accident.
Deb said that he heard screams of trapped passengers
and saw some passengers with head injuries.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, July 31, 2011, 20:39