5 killed, 45 injured in Bengal rail mishap; PM Modi takes stock

Kolkata/ New Delhi/Guwahati: At least five people were killed and more than 45 injured when 12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derailed and some overturned near Domohani in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on Thursday, an official said.

The accident occurred around 5 pm In an area under Alipurduar division of Northeast Frontier Railway, an NFR spokesperson said in Guwahati.

“Five passengers have died so far. We recovered three bodies from the accident site while two people died in hospital,” Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Moumita Godara Basu said, adding at least 45 passengers were injured in the accident.

“Since some of them are in a critical condition, the death toll may go up,” she said, adding rescuers were thoroughly searching each coach for survivors and bodies through darkness and thick fog.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday to take stock of the situation following a train accident in West Bengal which left at least five persons dead and over 45 injured.

“Spoke to Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the wake of the train accident in West Bengal. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly,” Modi tweeted.