Two die as train derails, probe starts
A senior Railways official said that a thorough inquiry will be conducted and action will be taken against the guilty.
New Delhi: The engine and two coaches of the Capital Express derailed near Samuktala Road in Alipurduar of West Bengal around 9.15pm on Tuesday night. While two persons died in the accident, six passengers received minor injuries, according to the Railways.
The Indian Railways on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the derailment of an engine and two coaches of the Rajendra Nagar-Guwahati Capital Express, which claimed two lives.
A senior Railways official said that a thorough inquiry will be conducted and action will be taken against the guilty, adding that the probe is ordered by railway minister Suresh Prabhu. Prima facie, the cause of the accident is believed to be overshooting of signal by the train driver.
About 150 of the stranded passengers were taken back to Alipurduar junction by Kamakh-ya–Alipurduar Inter City Express. The unaffected portion of the train was detached. The train will resume journey once the relief operation is completed, he said.
The Accident Relief Train reached the site around 10pm with railway doctors and relief materials and started rescue operations. Two coaches and engine of the Guwahati-bound Capital Express derailed in north Bengal, killing two persons and injuring six others. Three railway employees, including the driver, have been suspended in connection with the mishap.
The train coming from Bihar’s Rajendra Nagar Terminal derailed around 9pm on Tuesday night near Shamuktala Road station, about 32km from Alipurduar railway headquarters. Rail traffic, which had been stopped in both up and down lines in a diverted route, is being gradually restored, he added.