Four dead, over 30 injured in fatal Delhi-Kamakhya Express derailment

Late on Wednesday night, the Delhi-Kamakhya Northeast Express derailed near Bihar's Raghunathpur station, resulting in the tragic loss of four lives and injuring 30 passengers.

This incident forced the diversion of 92 trains and the cancellation of eight others.

At the accident site, significant damage was inflicted on pillars, electrical poles, signal posts, and both tracks. Trains on the New Delhi-Howrah main line faced delays as they were held up at various locations.

दिल्ली से कामख्या जा रही ट्रेन बक्सर के पास दुःखद ट्रेन दुर्घटना हुई है। हमारी स्वास्थ्य विभाग, आपदा विभाग के अधिकारियों एवं ज़िलाधिकारियों से बात हुई है। बक्सर, आरा, पटना के अस्पतलों को अलर्ट जारी किया है। बिहार पुलिस बल व SDRF को भी मौके पर भेजा है।
हमारी प्राथमिकता… pic.twitter.com/O28vaco3rQ

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) October 11, 2023

According to officials, the derailment was likely caused by poor track maintenance or a fault in the track-changing mechanism. They also noted that the area has no history of unlawful activities. 

This incident occurred a few months after India's worst rail disaster in two decades, which was caused by faulty connections in the automated signaling system.

Three of the victims in the Bihar accident were identified as Usha Bhandari, 33, Akriti Bhandari, 8, and Abu Jayand, 27, while the fourth passenger's identity remained unknown. The majority of the injured were receiving medical care at hospitals in Buxar, Ara, and Patna.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who pledged to determine the "root cause of the derailment," was expected to visit the accident site.

The Kamakhya-bound train was running one hour and 40 minutes behind schedule when the coaches derailed at approximately 9:35 pm after departing from the Buxar station. A relief and rescue train arrived at the scene around 1:30 am. Officials confirmed that all stranded passengers were evacuated, and efforts were underway to put the derailed carriages back on track.

Birendra Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer of East Central Railways, stated that an expert committee had initiated an examination of the technical aspects of the derailment. He also mentioned that the three coaches suffered the most damage, and fatalities were reported from these coaches. “The railways has handed over the compensation to the families of the dead. The injured are also being provided the compensation.”