Six coaches of the Kolkata–Sairang Express derailed near Digaru station on the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam early on Wednesday, with several passengers reported injured. The locomotive also left the track along with the coaches. A railway public relations officer said no deaths had been reported so far, though the exact number of injured passengers had not yet been confirmed.
The derailment took place around 6.54 am. The train was travelling from Sairang in Mizoram towards Kolkata when the incident occurred, and it had only recently begun its journey on this stretch when the coaches left the rails. Officials have not yet confirmed how seriously the injured passengers were hurt, and the severity of their injuries remains unclear. Information about the incident has so far come from statements issued by railway officials to the news agency IANS.
Senior officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway rushed to the site after the accident. Rescue and restoration operations were launched at the scene, with railway and local authorities working together to assess the situation and arrange assistance for the passengers on board. Personnel are clearing the affected section of track so that normal train operations can be restored on the route as early as possible.
The cause of the derailment is not yet known. A detailed railway inquiry is expected to establish the circumstances of the accident, including the condition of the track and the functioning of the locomotive and coaches. Officials have not offered any preliminary explanation for why the train left the rails, and no further technical findings have been made public.
The Kolkata–Sairang Express links Mizoram with eastern India, serving passengers who travel between the state and the Bengal capital. The disruption to services on the route has raised concern about train movement in the region, particularly for travellers who depend on the line for regular connections. The incident is also likely to draw attention to rail safety in the Northeast, a region of considerable strategic importance for the country's connectivity.
Further details are awaited from rescue teams and senior railway officials at the site, who are expected to provide updates on the number of injured passengers, the extent of their injuries and the progress of the restoration work. Until those figures are confirmed, the full impact of the derailment on passengers and on rail services in the Northeast remains to be seen.
Source: sambadenglish.com
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