At least two people died in a train accident in Jharkhand’s Jamtala district on Wednesday night. The incident took place at Karajhariya railway station when a local train ran over it. According to the information obtained, the passengers got off the other train from the wrong side, causing the fatal accident.
Eastern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kaushik Mitra said that a three-member Joint Joint Investigation Team (JAG) has been formed to investigate the heart attack incident.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the news, expressed condolences to the families of the victims and demanded rehabilitation of railways to prevent such a situation from happening again. In his post on his social media account, he expressed his solidarity with the affected families and emphasized that additional security measures should be taken.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also spoke about the death and called for a fair investigation to determine whether there was any safety lapse that could have led to the accident. He emphasized that accountability must be ensured to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Asansol Railway Division Manager (DRM) Chetna Nand Singh gave some preliminary information about the incident and said that ANGA Express stopped pulling due to alarm clock (ACP). Meanwhile, the MEMU train hit two people while passing the side rail. It was stated that the mechanic of the MEMU train was constantly honking the horn, but the passengers could not see it due to the curve. Singh dispelled earlier rumors by clarifying that there were no reports of fire or fire on the Ang Express train.
Expressing his condolences on behalf of the Railways, Singh touched on the seriousness of the incident and said, “This is an unfortunate incident in which two innocent people lost their lives.”
Jamtara Superintendent of Police (SP) Animesh Naithani gave more details and said that the Bhagalpur-Yesvantpur express stopped near Kalajharia station. Following rumors of a fire, many passengers boarded the ship. Unfortunately, two people on the side road where the Asansol-Jasidih MEMU crashed died instantly. Naishani confirmed that the bodies were taken to Jamtala Sadar Hospital soon after. The investigation is ongoing and we will update as more information becomes available.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren expressed sadness over the incident and wrote on Twitter: “May God grant peace and strength to the family and the souls of the deceased as they go through this difficult and sad time.” He confirmed that the government was cooperating with the rescue.
Surendra Mandal, a member of Jamtara Zila Parishad and an eyewitness of the accident, explained the events. He said that the stones were placed on the rails and the fire broke out when the rails fell under the wheels of the train. This caused the passengers to pull out the emergency chain and unfortunately they went to the adjacent track where the MEMU train was passing.
The Deputy Commissioner (DC) said it was too early to know the exact number of victims. Jamtala SDM Anant Kumar reiterated the status of the incident and confirmed that two bodies were recovered. He requested the railways to set up a helpline to report the message and conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
A JAG committee was established to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his sorrow, acknowledged the pain of the accident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved people.
This incident is an important reminder of the importance of strict safety procedures and vigilance by train officials to prevent such accidents. Further investigation will reveal the temporal truth of the events that led to this evil life.
