Guwahati, Nov 11 (PTI) Four persons suffered minor injuries after five coaches and the engine of the Kolkata-Sairang Express derailed at Digaru near Assam’s Guwahati on Wednesday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Sarma, in a social media post, said that all the passengers were safe.
”Four sustained minor injuries and are receiving care. We’re working closely with @RailMinIndia on this situation,” he said.
”All stranded passengers have been provided with basic necessities, and alternative travel train has been arranged for the journey,” the CM said.
The four injured have been taken to the Sonapur Primary Health Centre.
A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said in a statement that all passengers were safe, and no major injuries have been reported.
A special train has already reached the site to take the stranded passengers to their respective destinations, and they have been provided with drinking water and food items, he said.
The accident occurred when the Kolkata-Sairang Express was entering the Digaru railway station in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, and the loco pilot gave precedence to another train, but could not control the speed, he had earlier said.
”This resulted in an unfortunate incident of derailment, in which the locomotive along with 5 coaches derailed,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media showed the loco driver maneuvering equipment in the engine and purportedly saying that none of those were working.
PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The train jumped tracks around 6.54 am, another official said.
A recovery train was also sent to the spot for rescue operations and to clear the tracks, he said.
The spokesperson said that normal train operations on the section have now been restored.
Trains that were earlier controlled or regulated at different locations will resume their normal journey gradually, he said.
Following the incident, the movement of the Janshatabdi Express from Guwahati to Jorhat, and the Coimbatore-Silchar Express, was controlled at Panbari and Panikhaiti, respectively.
The Alipurduar-Mariani Intercity Express was short-terminated at Kamakhya station, while the Guwahati-Haibargaon DMU was cancelled, the official said.
Helpline numbers have also been activated at Katihar, Kishanganj, New Jalpaiguri, Guwahati, Lumding, Badarpur and Silchar, he added. PTI DG DG RBT
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