Four people died and over 100 were injured after three compartments of the Kamakhya Junction-bound 12506 Northeast Express derailed at around 9.50 pm on Wednesday near Raghunathpur railway station in Bihar’s Buxar district.
The Buxar DM confirmed the casualties.
According to reports, the train was travelling from the Delhi station of Anand Vihar to Kamakhya in Guwahati city.
All three leading hospitals of Patna – Patna Medical College and Hospital, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital and Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences – have been put on alert to deal with the emergency situation, and over a dozen ambulances have been sent to the spot from the state capital.
Buxar Police said the incident took place around 9.50 pm after the train left Buxar station and had reached near Raghunathpur railway station, about 40 km from Buxar. Three compartments of the train derailed, causing injuries to several passengers.
A railway official said the rescue operations were underway but the darkness was adding to the difficulty. Visuals of the accident showed some passengers being rescued with the help of stairs. Bihar Deputy CM and health minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said: :”We have spoken to disaster management and health departments and Buxar administration to intensify rescue operations. We have readied Patna hospitals to treat the injured.”
In a post online, Union Minister and Buxar MP Ashwini Kr Choubey said, “I have come to know that 3 coaches have derailed. I have also spoken to DG NDRF, Chief Secretary, DM, DG and GM Railways. I have appealed to our workers and they are engaged in rescue operations. Medical teams have been sent.”
Meanwhile, the train services on the Howrah-New Delhi route have also been disrupted following the incident.
Update : The accident relief vehicle along with the medical team and officials has left for the incident site. No casualties have been reported: East Central Railway Zone
Helpline number PNBE – 9771449971, DNR – 8905697493, ARA – 8306182542, COML CNL – 7759070004
Taking to ‘X’ platform, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, “I have received the news of the derailment of North East Express 12506 – from Anand Vihar to Kamakhya. We are closely monitoring the situation and are establishing contact with local authorities and other agencies.”
