Describing the harrowing experience, a survivor of the Kanchanjunga Express tragedy recounted it as a nightmarish ordeal. She expressed gratitude for her survival, stating, “It is the mercy of God that I am alive today and talking to you. I cant narrate in words what we went through. There was a huge jerk and I fell from the upper-tier. It was a nightmare.”Another passenger, who regularly travels for business in north Bengal, shared similar sentiments of fear and relief after the incident. “I have to frequently travel by trains for my business in north Bengal. But now I am really scared. I think I got a fresh lease of life,” they said.Incident DetailsThe Kanchanjunga Express, which faced the tragic collision with a goods train near New Jalpaiguri in north Bengal, claimed the lives of nine individuals. The incident occurred at 8:55 am on Monday when a goods train struck the rear-end of the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express near Rangapani, around 10 km south of New Jalpaiguri (NJP).Impact and ResumptionWhile four coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express, including a general compartment, two parcel coaches, and the guard van, were affected, five coaches of the goods train were derailed. Despite this, the Kanchanjunga Express, with its 19 unaffected coaches and 1,293 passengers, resumed its journey towards Kolkata around 12 noon on Monday.Efforts to Restore NormalcyRailway officials swiftly worked to clear the tracks and resume operations. Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Sabyasachi De, informed, “While the upline was cleared by around 5:40 pm on Tuesday and the first goods train passed around 8 pm, the down line was cleared at around 7:30 am on Tuesday.”Investigating the CauseAs the investigation unfolded, railway officials revealed potential causes for the collision. A combination of a signalling fault on the tracks before the New Jalpaiguri station and human error by the driver of the freight train are likely factors contributing to the tragic incident.
