West Bengal train mishap: Tripura govt sends officials to site to extend assistance

Agartala (Tripura) [India], June 17 (ANI): Following the train mishap in Darjeeling of West Bengal, which claimed eight lives and left over 20 injured, the Tripura government has sent a two-member team of officials of the state government to extend assistance to the injured.

At least eight people have died and about 25 to 30 are injured as a goods train collided with the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express on Monday morning near New Jalpaiguri, a senior North Frontier Railway (NFR) official said. The accident took place around 9 am.

Pradip Kumar Chakraborty, Tripura Home Secretary told ANI, “A two-member team of the Tripura government has been sent to the accident site in West Bengal. We haven’t received any specific data on whether anyone from Tripura suffered injuries or not. The team will land at Bagdogra airport at 5:30 p.m. and by 6:30 p.m. they will be at the site of the incident. Upon their arrival at the spot, they will go look for the passengers from Tripura who might have gotten hurt in the accident.”

“Even if there is no one at the site, they will go to the Bagdogra hospital and medical college where the injured passengers have been shifted for medical attention”, he added.

Meanwhile, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, through a post on social media, said that the state government is continuously monitoring the situation.

“Spoke with Hon’ble Union Minister for @RailMinIndia Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw Ji regarding the collision of Kanchanjungha Express with Goods train in New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Hon’ble Union Minister informed me that rescue operation is going on in full swing and assured that all necessary support would be given to the victims and their families”, CM Saha said in a post on ‘X’.

“State Government is continuously monitoring the situation since morning. Tripura Bhawan officials instructed to visit accident site for proper monitoring of rescue and rehabilitation of accident victims. Cost of treatment of all injured will be borne by the State government. In case of any unfortunate accidental death, State Government has declared Rs. 2 lakhs ex-gratia payment to the next to kin of the victim”, he added.

The Tripura Chief Minister also issued three helpline numbers for assistance to the needy.

“Helpline numbers: Katihar 9002041952, 9771441956; Emergency NJP +916287801758”, CM Saha wrote in a post on ‘X’.

Meanwhile, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has landed in West Bengal; he will shortly visit the accident site in Darjeeling.

Rescue efforts to extricate trapped passengers are ongoing. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and police are present at the Kanchenjunga Express train accident site in Ruidhasa in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

A wagon of the Kanchenjunga Express train was suspended in the air after a goods train rammed into it at Ruidhasa near Rangapani station under the Siliguri subdivision in the Darjeeling district.

Sealdah Eastern Railway has set up a control desk at Rangapani station after the Kanchenjunga Express train was rammed by a goods train at Ruidhasa in Darjeeling.

The central government, meanwhile, has announced an enhanced ex-gratia compensation for victims in the train mishap.

Families of the deceased will be provided Rs 10 lakh each while a sum of Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 50,000 will be provided to those who sustained grievous and minor injuries respectively, said Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.