Guwahati, July 19: As many as 384 passengers have lost their lives in train accidents in the last five years and hundreds of others have been left injured, many of them maimed for life, due to alleged lapses in management of train operations in automatic signal zones and “inadequate training” of loco pilots and station masters.
The eight biggest train accidents that occurred in the country in the last five years:-
Kanchanjunga Express collision
Ten people died when a goods train rammed into the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express near Rangapani, 30 km from the New Jalpaiguri station in Siliguri, West Bengal on June 17, this year.
A railway enquiry later found lapses in managing of the automatic signal zones and poor “counseling” of train drivers.
Andhra Pradesh train collision
14 people died and 50 were left injured when the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Express train hit the Rayagada Passenger train on the Howrah-Chennai main line in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on October 29th, 2023.
A railway probe found the Rayagada passenger train passed two defective auto signals leading to the crash.
Madurai train fire
Nine passengers died and 20 others were injured when a fire broke out in a coach of the Lucknow-Rameswaram train near Madurai station on August 26, 2023, which was caused by a cooking gas cylinder illegally smuggled inside the train.
Mizoram railway bridge collapse
On August 23, 2023, an under-construction railway bridge at Sairang area of Mizoram’s Aizawl district collapsed killing 23 workers and leaving scores injured. It happened when workers were engaged in installing a gantry on the bridge over Kurung river when it collapsed.
Odisha triple train crash
The biggest and deadliest train disaster to occur was the triple-train collision in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2, 2023. The Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train collided when a malfunctioning signaling system misdirected the Coromandel Express into the path of the goods train, a railway enquiry found. The train was sent into a loop track instead of the main line and crashed into a goods train, while three of its 21 derailed coaches collided with the incoming Bengaluru-Howrah Express. The crash killed 296 people and as many as 1,200 others were left injured.
Bikaner-Guwahati Express derailment
A derailment of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express took place on January 13, 2022, near Domohoni in the Maynaguri block of Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. The accident killed nine passengers and injured 36 others. The final safety report by the Commission of Railway Safety confirmed that the train had missed several routine inspections, and the irregular maintenance had led to the malfunctions causing the derailment.
Aurangabad railway accident
At the peak of the Coronavirus lockdown in the country, a group of migrant workers resting on the railway tracks near Karmad police station in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra were run over by a goods train on May 8th, 2020. A total of 16 people were killed, one was injured. The labourers were on their way to Madhya Pradesh, travelling on foot from Maharashtra since there were no trains because of the government lockdown when tragedy befell them.
Seemanchal Express derailment
The Seemanchal Express derailed on February 3, 2019, in the Vaishali district of Bihar, 80 kms from Patna, due to a rail line fracture. The accident occurred at 4 am and led to the deaths of seven passengers and injuries to 29 others.
Also Read: Blocked drain leads to waterlogging in Dibrugarh town
Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on-
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
