Darjeeling, June 17 (Udaipur Kiran) – A tragic train accident occurred in Darjeeling, West Bengal, on Monday morning around 9 AM when a freight train collided with the Kanchanjunga Express (13174) from behind. The collision resulted in significant damage to three coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express. According to PTI, 15 bodies have been recovered so far, and 60 people are reported injured.
The Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Eastern Railway reported that the passenger train had two parcel coaches and one SLR coach at the rear, which were not carrying any passengers. Eight people, including two loco pilots and a guard, have died in the incident. Five coaches of the train were damaged. The train will undergo a fitness test before departing for Sealdah. Single-line train services have been resumed.
The Kanchanjunga Express was traveling from Agartala to Sealdah in West Bengal. The express train had stopped at Ruidhasa near Rangapani station in Siliguri due to a red signal. It was then that the following freight train crashed into it. It is suspected that the heavy rain might have obscured the signal from the freight train’s pilot, leading to the accident.
The impact was so severe that one of the express train’s coaches was left hanging in the air on the freight train’s engine, while two other coaches were derailed. Rescue operations are underway with the involvement of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and officials from the railway and West Bengal authorities.
Sabyasachi De, CPRO of North-East Frontier Railway, stated that the track where the accident occurred will be operational by night. The down Kanchanjunga Express will also run at night. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is on his way to Darjeeling from Delhi to oversee the situation.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
