Railways orders inquiry into Capital Express mishap

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today ordered an inquiry into the derailment of the engine and two coaches of the Rajendra Nagar-Guwahati Capital Express, which left two persons dead.

Though prima facie the cause of the accident was overshooting of signal by the driver of the train, a thorough inquiry will be conducted and action will be taken against the guilty, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

The railway minister has ordered the inquiry.

The engine and two coaches of the Capital Express derailed near Samuktala Road in Alipurduar of West Bengal at around 9.15 PM last night.

While two persons died in the accident, six passengers received minor injuries, according to Railways.

About 150 of the stranded passengers were taken back to Alipurduar Junction by Kamakhya-Alipurduar Inter City Express. The unaffected portion of the train was detached. The train will resume journey once the relief operation is completed, he said.

The Accident Relief Train reached the site of the accident at 10 PM with railway doctors and relief materials and started rescue operations.

Railways have operationalised helpline numbers at the site (9002052957, 8585082833 and 03564-259935) to facilitate relatives of passengers.