Bihar Train Accident: High-level inquiry ordered, many trains diverted as restoration works continue

A high-level inquiry was announced on Thursday to find the root cause of Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express derailment in Bihar's Buxar district which resulted in the death of four and left several others injured.

"A high-level inquiry has been ordered to investigate the reason behind the incident," East Central Railway's chief public relations officer Birendra Kumar said in a statement.

Investigation

"Deepest condolences for the irreparable loss. Will find the root cause of derailment," said Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw.

ECR general manager Tarun Prakash said that the cause of the accident will be known only after the investigation is complete.

Death Toll and Injured
The number of casualties is four while the number of injured passengers has increased to 70, the railways authorities said on the accident.

After the incident, an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh was announced to the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured, Birendra Kumar said in a statement.said.

On the other side, the statement issued by the ECR said that while five passengers were critically injured, 25 received minor injuries.

Meanwhile, all passengers of the train bound for Kamakhya in Guwahati in Assam, who were in a position to undertake the onward journey, boarded a relief train in the early hours of Thursday, officials said.

Ten injured passengers were taken to AIIMS-Patna, they added.

He said evacuation and rescue operations were completed and all coaches have been checked.

Train Derailment
The 12506 North East Express departed the Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi at 7.40 am on Wednesday for its nearly 33-hour journey to Kamakhya.

Twenty-three coaches of the train, on the way to Assam from Delhi, derailed near the Raghunathpur station around 9.53 pm on Wednesday, they said.

Electric wires, poles and tracks have been damaged due to the accident, officials said, adding that 21 trains operating on the route have been diverted as a result.

The guard of the Kamakhya-bound train, Vijay Kumar, recalls having fallen unconscious by the impact of the derailment.

"I was busy with my paperwork when I realised that the driver suddenly applied brakes. This was followed by a few jerks and I fainted. Later, I found myself in the adjoining fields, where villagers were sprinkling drops of water on my face," said Kumar, who has sustained minor injuries.

Railways insist that the restoration process will not take that long.

"It was an experience I may never forget. Suddenly, all of us started getting tossed off our berths by a force that none of us could fathom," Mahendra Yadav, a 64 years old, resident of Madhepura district who was travelling in an AC 3-tier coach,who survived the train accident said.

(With agency inputs)