TOAt least 15 people died and more than twenty were injured after a collision between a passenger train and a freight train this Monday in northeastern India, apparently caused by human error, official sources confirmed to EFE.
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The accident took place this Monday morning, at approximately 8:50 a.m. (3:20 GMT) at a station in the district of Daarjeling of West Bengal, a very popular tourist destination in the northeast of the country especially during the summer.
“So far the bodies of 15 people have been recovered from inside the carriages,” including the driver of one of the trains, Darjeeling district deputy superintendent of police Abhishek Roy told EFE.
Rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) work at the scene.
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About 60 people were taken to hospitals for medical attention, most of them have been discharged. However between 20 and 25 people remain hospitalizedaccording to the source.
Rescue operations are still underway, so authorities do not rule out that there are people trapped in some of the affected carriages.
Apparently there was an omission of the signs, but we will know more after the investigation
At the moment the causes of the accident are unknown.
Because the driver of the freight train is among the dead, “we do not have a precise way of knowing exactly what happened (…) apparently there was an omission of the signals, but we will know more after the investigation,” he said in a statement. Railway Board Director Jaya Varma Sinha at a press conference.
Also, “the assistant conductor of the goods train and the guard of the Kanchenjunga Express passenger train were killed in the incident,” he added.
The first hypotheses indicate that the driver of the goods train missed a signal and crashed from behind into the express passenger train.
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The express train was traveling from the Indian state of Assam to the city of Calcutta, in the state of West Bengal, according to local media.
The section where the accident occurred is a heavily trafficked route that operates with an automatic signal for several parallel lines, so frequently jams several trains at the same time, according to witnesses and local media.
Images broadcast by television channels show one of the cars upright, partially in the air, and other cars and cargo containers destroyed or derailed after the crash.
#TrainAccident: A tragic train accident in West Bengal occurred when a cargo train collided with the stationary Kanchenjunga Express, severely damaging three rear coaches. Casualties have been reported, but details are pending. Rescue operations are ongoing, with updates from… pic.twitter.com/zNSEl0zhqZ
— Beats in Brief (@beatsinbrief) June 17, 2024
“The train accident in West Bengal is sad. My condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. I have spoken to the officials and taken stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to help those affected,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a message on X.
The Asian country has the fourth largest railway network in the world by length, and Between April 2017 and March 2021, it recorded 2,017 incidents with derailment as the most common cause, according to a recent report by the Auditor General (CAG).
The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri…
—Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2024
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