At least eight are killed and dozens more injured as two trains crash with impact leaving carriages rising vertically in the air in India
- Shocking footage from the scene shows a carriage hanging in the air
- A freight train rammed into a Kanchanjunga Express passenger train on Monday
- Rescue teams are working at the site in India’s eastern state of West Bengal
At least eight people were killed and dozens of others were injured when two trains collided in India, sending carriages vertically into the air.
Shocking footage shows a carriage hanging in the air as concerned onlookers gather nearby following the tragic train jam.
A freight train rammed into the back of a passenger train in India’s eastern state of West Bengal on Monday as rescue efforts are underway.
The accident happened after the freight train passed a signal and then crashed into the rear of the Kanchanjunga Express, railway authorities told local media.
State Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a post on
At least eight people were killed and dozens of others were injured when two trains collided in India
Shocking footage shows carriages hanging in the air after the tragic train jam
Swarms of concerned onlookers gathered and rescue teams are now searching the accident scene
The Chief Minister of West Bengal said, “Shocked to have just heard about a tragic train accident in Phansidewa area of Darjeeling district.
“Doctors, ambulances and disaster teams have been rushed to the site for rescue, recovery and medical assistance. Action has been taken to further the war.”
Sabyasachi De, spokesperson for the Northeast Frontier Railway, said three of the eight deaths were railway workers.
At least 25 people were injured in the clash, which took place near New Jalpaiguri station, and were taken to a nearby hospital.
He told ANI: “These are non-fatal injuries. The rescue operation is proceeding on a war footing.
“We are trying to complete the rescue operation as quickly as possible. Senior officials have already reached the location.
“According to the preliminary information that Kanchenjunga was hit from behind by a freight train… we have information about eight deaths.”
Four compartments at the rear of the passenger train derailed in the collision, most of which carried freight while one compartment was a passenger coach, Mr De said.
Television channels showed footage of one train being rammed into the end of the other, with one compartment rising vertically into the air
It is understood a freight train rammed into a passenger train in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal on Monday after it crossed a signal
Television channels showed images of one train ramming into the end of the other, with one compartment rising vertically into the air.
Swarms of people gathered at the scene as rescuers searched the crash site.
The Kanchanjunga Express is a daily train that connects the state of West Bengal with other cities in the northeast.
It is often used by tourists traveling to the hill station of Darjeeling, popular at this time of year when several Indian cities are sweltering with heat.
More than 12 million people travel every day on 14,000 trains throughout India, over a route of 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles).
Despite government efforts to improve railway safety, hundreds of accidents occur on Indian railways every year. Most are attributed to human error or outdated signaling equipment.
In June last year, a massive train crash in eastern India killed more than 280 people in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.
At least 25 people were injured in the clash, which took place near New Jalpaiguri station