Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw surveyed the site of the train collision near Rangapani, close to New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal, on Monday afternoon to assess the situation.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw surveyed the site of the train collision near Rangapani, close to New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal, on Monday afternoon to assess the situation. Due to narrow roads hindering larger vehicles, Ashwini traveled on the back of a motorcycle to reach the accident site.
A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official reported that a goods train collided with the 13174 Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express from behind near Rangapani station on Monday morning.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav PR begins, this time reels will be on bike while visiting the Kanchenjunga Express train accident site in Darjeeling district. pic.twitter.com/Y89K35t1No
— Pritesh Shah (@priteshshah_)Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visiting the accident site in West Bengal
Casualty and Injury updates :
9 Casualty (7 passengers and 2 Railway staff/crew), 9 Grievous , 32 simple /minor injury . pic.twitter.com/viOeLE2qI1
| Railways Minister visits the Kanchenjunga Express train accident site in Darjeeling district
Union Minister said, "Right now our focus is on restoration. This is the main line. The rescue operation has been completed." pic.twitter.com/gHrJjQ8XD6
The death toll from the Kanchanjunga Express accident has climbed to 15, with more than 60 people injured. Authorities have warned that the number of casualties could rise further. State and central agencies, along with local volunteers, are working diligently to rescue any passengers who may still be trapped inside.
Kanchanjunga Express accident: 19 trains cancelled following major train accident; see full list
A senior railway official confirmed that among those who lost their lives are the pilot and co-pilot of the goods train involved in the collision.
Talking to the reporters at the accident site, Vaishnaw said, "Commission of Railway Safety will conduct a thorough investigation. Rescue operation has concluded and now the focus is on restoration, this is the main line. We will identify the reason behind this accident and will take proper preventive measures for the future."
The Railway minister also met with persons who were injured in the rail accident at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
| Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visits the site of accident in and meets the victims at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
Right now our focus is on restoration: … pic.twitter.com/snxrexym7t
Union Railway Minister meets the people injured in the at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. pic.twitter.com/Wxv8VudJlH
— DD News (@DDNewslive)Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the central government, stating that it claimed only about elections and not railway officials.
"They (Railway Ministry) don't care about passenger amenities. They don't even care about railway officials, railway engineers, railway technical staff and workers. They are also in trouble. Their old pension has been withdrawn. I am completely with the railway employees and railway officials. They are trying their best. But this government only cares about the election. How to go for hacking, how to go for manipulation, how to go for rig the election... I think they should give more time for the governance, not for utterance," she said.
According to Railway Board Chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha, the 'Kavach' anti-train collision system was not operational along the Guwahati-Delhi route at the time of the collision between a goods train and the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express on Monday. Sinha mentioned that plans are underway to implement the Kavach system on this route.
"It is not there right now," she said.
Helpline numbers for assistance and information regarding the derailment of Kanchenjunga Express in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/ctwkZQc5m7
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia)Sinha indicated a potential "human error" by the loco pilot of the goods train, who tragically succumbed to injuries from the accident near New Jalpaiguri. She suggested that the collision with the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express, en route from Agartala, might have occurred because the goods train disregarded signals.
Sinha noted that a guard's coach and two parcel vans of the Kanchanjunga Express were severely damaged. Fortunately, due to these three coaches absorbing much of the impact, the passenger coaches experienced less severe damage.
"The general compartment has also been impacted. Our priority was to rescue passengers. It has been completed now. Our area officer and his team reached the accident site, which is 10 km from the New Jalpaiguri station," Sinha said.
The chairperson also asserted that safety is the first priority of the Railways.
"We are doing everything to ensure that train operations remain safe," she said.
Sinha emphasized that the implementation of the 'Kavach' system is being expedited with a mission-oriented approach. Currently operational on 1,500 km of railway tracks, it is slated to expand to another 3,000 km by year-end. Sinha highlighted the need for suppliers to scale up production of the safety system to facilitate rapid deployment of the Kavach project across the national railway network.