At least four people have died and around 50 people were injured after 21 coaches of the North East Express near Raghunathpur station in Buxar district, an official said. The North East Express train was going from Anand Vihar Terminal, Delhi to Kamakhya in Assam when its 21 coaches derailed at 21.35 on Wednesday near Raghunathpur station of the Danapur division of the East Central Railway.
“Information has been received from the local district administration that around 50 people got injured,” Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of East Central Railway zone, Birendra Kumar, said. Locals and district administrations rescued the passengers, and the critically injured have been referred to AIIMS Patna. Railway officials are present on the spot, he added.
“4 casualties have been confirmed, and rescue operations are underway. 21 coaches have derailed,” Tarun Prakash, General Manager of East Central Railways (ECR) told ANI. He further said that the reason behind the incident would be investigated after the rescue operation was over. Meanwhile, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that the evacuation and rescue operations are complete.
“Evacuation and rescue are complete. All coaches checked. Passengers will be shifted to a special train soon for their onward journey,” Vaishnaw said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Earlier, the Assam Chief Minister’s Office said that the government is closely monitoring the unfortunate derailment.
“The Chief Minister’s Office is closely monitoring the unfortunate derailment of Train Number 12506 in Raghunathpur and is in touch with the district authorities in Buxar and other agencies,” Assam Chief Minister’s Office posted on X. The accident came just over four months after the horrific triple train tragedy that took place in Odisha’s Balasore district in June and claimed 296 lives.
On June 20, 2023, three trains–the Coromandel Express, a goods train, and the SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express–collided. 176 people sustained grievous injuries, 451 suffered simple injuries, and 180 received first aid treatment.