In a distressing incident, six compartments of the 12506 Northeast Express heading to Kamakhya Junction derailed near Raghunathpur railway station in Bihar’s Buxar district, resulting in four casualties and leaving 100 passengers injured.
The casualties were confirmed by the Buxar District Magistrate.
Prompt response was initiated, with all major hospitals in Patna, including Patna Medical College and Hospital, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, and Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, being put on high alert to handle the emergency. Additionally, over a dozen ambulances were dispatched from the state capital to provide immediate assistance.
The unfortunate derailment occurred around 9.50 pm after the train had departed from Buxar station and approached the Raghunathpur railway station, approximately 40 km from Buxar. Six compartments of the train derailed, resulting in injuries to numerous passengers.
Despite the challenges posed by darkness, railway officials initiated swift rescue operations. Disturbing visuals from the scene depicted passengers being rescued with the aid of staircases. Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, affirmed, “We have coordinated with disaster management and health departments, along with the Buxar administration, to escalate the rescue efforts. Patna hospitals are ready to provide the necessary medical attention to the injured.”
In an online update, Union Minister and Buxar MP Ashwini Kr Choubey shared, “I’ve been informed that three coaches have derailed. I have personally liaised with DG NDRF, Chief Secretary, DM, DG, and GM Railways. Our team is actively engaged in the ongoing rescue operations, and medical teams have been dispatched.”
This tragic incident follows a train accident in Odisha’s Balasore, a little over four months ago, where 296 lives were lost. That fateful incident occurred near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Balasore district, when the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train. Tragically, some of its derailed coaches were struck by the Yeshvantpur Express on its way to Howrah just moments later.
