According to domestic media reports, a special express train in India derailed. Officials said the death toll is likely to continue to rise.
According to reports, on January 13, local time, near the new Domohani station in the Djerbaguri area of West Bengal, the 12 cars of the Bikarnel-Guwahati express train derailed, killing at least 7 people and injuring 50 others. Of these, 13 were seriously injured. Immediately after the incident, the injured were taken to various nearby hospitals.
The scene showed that many cars overturned, derailed, squeezed and deformed, and a large number of stranded passengers gathered on both sides of the tracks. Officials at the scene revealed that some of the carriages had fallen off the tracks, and one of them was found pressed against another. Many passengers were trapped in derailed carriages, so rescue departments used gas cutters to cut through the damaged carriages.
It is reported that there are a total of 1053 passengers on the train. At present, basic equipment, including cranes and gas cutters, has been deployed on the site, while a rescue train transporting trapped passengers has also been dispatched. Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force, as well as several railway and district management officials, have arrived at the scene.
At the same time, the Ministry of Railways of India announced a special compensation. Compensation for the deceased is 500,000 rupees (about 43,000 yuan), 100,000 rupees (about 8,600 yuan) for seriously injured passengers, and 25,000 rupees (about 2,150 yuan) for ordinary passengers.
India's Minister of Railways, Ashvini Vashnau, said: "This is an unfortunate accident that I have spoken to the Prime Minister and reported to him on the rescue operation, which is our focus now. Subsequently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he had spoken with India's Minister of Railways, Ashvini Vashnau, and assessed the situation. At the same time, Modi said: "I am with the families of the victims and wish the injured people to recover as soon as possible." ”
This is reportedly not the first incident of a limited express train derailment in India. In February 2019, a Symancha Express bound for Delhi had an accident near Shahatai Station, derailing nine cars. The 55 km/h express train had an accident around 4 a.m., when most of the passengers were sleeping. The accident killed 6 people and injured 24 others.