A cargo train collided with a passenger train in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal on Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people and injuries to several others, officials reported.
Medical professionals, disaster response teams, and ambulances were actively involved in rescue efforts, according to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a social media post on X. The accident occurred in the Darjeeling district, a popular tourist destination located in the Himalayan foothills.
Three of the eight fatalities were railway personnel, confirmed Sabyasachi De, the spokesperson for the Northeast Frontier Railway. The collision, which took place near the New Jalpaiguri station, resulted in injuries to at least 25 individuals.
Television footage depicted one train forcefully colliding with the rear end of the other, with one compartment rising vertically into the air. Numerous individuals gathered at the crash site as rescue workers conducted their search.
The driver of the cargo train disregarded a signal, leading to the collision, according to De. The impact caused four compartments at the rear of the passenger train to derail, with most of the cars carrying cargo and one being a passenger coach.
The Kanchanjunga Express is a daily train service that connects West Bengal state with other cities in the northeast. It is frequently used by tourists traveling to the hill station of Darjeeling, which is particularly popular during this time of year when other Indian cities experience sweltering heat.
More than 12 million individuals ride 14,000 trains across India daily, traversing 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track. Despite governmental efforts to enhance rail safety, accidents happen annually, primarily attributed to human error or outdated signaling equipment.
Last year, a train collision killed over 280 people in one of the country’s deadliest accidents in recent decades.
