Kanchenjunga Express accident: Railway Board CEO says – Rescue operation over, 8 dead so far

Kolkata (Team Newsbuddy): On Monday morning, a freight train collided with the Kanchenjunga Express near New Jalpaiguri in Darjeeling.

Railway Board CIO Jaya Verma Sinha has said that the rescue operation has been completed and the death toll so far is eight.

The 13174 Kanchenjunga Express coming from Agartala was going to Sealdah and a freight train collided with it at Rangapani near New Jalpaiguri station.

Railway Board CEO Jaya Sinha Verma told the media, “The rescue operation is completely over. So far the number of people killed in the accident is eight. The number of injured is said to be 25 but around 50 people are in the hospital. Safety is a priority for us. Prima facie, this seems to be a case of human error. The goods train disobeyed the signal and moved ahead. The loco pilot and a guard have also died, so we do not know clearly what happened, something can be said only after the investigation is completed. “

“Our effort is to prevent such mistakes from happening, so we need to improve the protection system further. This year we will install protection for 3000 kilometers.”

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has left for Darjeeling.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Draupadi Murmu, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister have expressed grief over the accident.