4 dead, 70 injured after Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express derails
What's the story
At least four people died and nearly 70 others suffered injuries after a North East Express train derailed near Raghunathpur Railway Station in the Buxar district of Bihar on Wednesday evening. According to news agency ANI, the express train was en route to Kamakhya Junction in Assam's Guwahati from Delhi's Anand Vihar Terminal when 21 of its coaches derailed at 9:53pm.
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Visuals of derailed North East Express
#WATCH | Buxar, Bihar: Union Minister Ashwini Choubey inspects the restoration work and rescue operations after 21 coaches of Kamakhya-Bound North-East Express derailed in Raghunathpur last night pic.twitter.com/clinAm1rDa
— ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2023
Details
Deepest condolences for irreparable loss: Railway minister
After the accident, Union Railway Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Vaishnaw offered his condolences on X (previously Twitter), writing, "Deepest condolences for the irreparable loss. Will find the root cause of derailment." He had earlier said that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), railway officials, district administration, and local residents carried out a joint rescue operation after the accident.
What Next?
Railways sets up helpline numbers after accident
Speaking to PTI, East Central Railway Zone Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Birendra Kumar revealed that the incident took place less than 30 minutes after the train left Buxar station and was en route to Ara. Meanwhile, the Railways has opened helpline numbers for public inquiries following the unfortunate incident: Danapur station (DNR) - 8905697493, Patna station (PNBE) - 9771449971, and Ara station (ARA) - 8306182542.
Insights
Trains canceled, rerouted following accident
At least 21 trains have been diverted from the route. The Hindu reported that the Patna Kashi Jan Shatabdi Express (15126) and Kashi Patna Jan Shatabdi Express (15125) have been canceled so far. Whereas the Patliputra SF Express (12141), Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (12424), Pune-Danapur SF Express (12149), Vikramshila Express (12368), Rajendra Nagar Terminal Tejas Rajdhani Express (12310), Kamakhya Express (15623), Anvt Rdp Express (22488), Guwahati Express (15633), and Bhagalpur Garib Rath Express (22406) have been rerouted.
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Political reactions after North East Express's derailment
Reacting to Wednesday night's tragedy, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav took to X and shared a video stating, "The Bihar government is actively engaged in rescue, relief and treatment of the victims and injured." On the other hand, the Assam Chief Minister's Office tweeted that all the stranded passengers of the 12506 train were en route from Raghunathpur Station to Kamakhya Junction via a special relief train on Thursday morning.
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Check out Yadav's post here
दिल्ली से कामख्या जा रही ट्रेन बक्सर के पास दुःखद ट्रेन दुर्घटना हुई है। हमारी स्वास्थ्य विभाग, आपदा विभाग के अधिकारियों एवं ज़िलाधिकारियों से बात हुई है। बक्सर, आरा, पटना के अस्पतलों को अलर्ट जारी किया है। बिहार पुलिस बल व SDRF को भी मौके पर भेजा है।
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) October 11, 2023
हमारी प्राथमिकता… pic.twitter.com/O28vaco3rQ
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Recalling Odisha train accident
Earlier this year, a Chennai-bound Coromandel Express train entered the passing loop instead of the main line on June 2 at Bahanaga Bazar Railway Station in Odisha and clashed with a goods train. Three of the Coromandel Express's 21 coaches derailed and crashed into the oncoming SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express on the next track. This caused one of India's biggest train tragedies, which claimed over 290 lives.