Five of the nine who died were in a general compartment ahead of two parcel vans of the express train that seemingly absorbed most of the impact of the crash between Rangapani and Chattar Hat stations, around 11km from New Jalpaiguri.Four passenger trains had passed that stretch minutes before the accident.
Among the casualties were loco pilot Anil Kumar of the goods train, Kanchanjungha Express guard Ashish Dey, state excise inspector Kaleb Subba, railway employee Shankar Mohan Das, and passengers Subhajit Mali and Beauty Begum. Three of the dead hadn’t been identified till late evening.
The four derailed bogies of the express and five cargo containers fell on the adjoining track, stalling rail traffic along a stretch of the lone route that connects Guwahati and the Northeast with the rest of the country. Kavach, the railways’ automatic anti-collision system, has not been installed on this busy route yet.
Railway Board chairperson and CEO Jaya Varma Sinha said a “human error” by the deceased loco pilot of the goods train may have triggered the collision, while railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at the accident site that a thorough inquiry by the Commission of Railway Safety would reveal the cause. “The railway accident 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,” PM Modi posted on X.
