A possible “fault in tracks” could be the cause behind the train accident in Bihar’s Buxar, in which 23 coaches of the North East Express derailed leaving four people dead and several injured. A high-level inquiry has been ordered into the accident, which took place late on Wednesday (October 11) near Raghunathpur railway station in the Danapur division.
According to sources, ground officers in a joint note have suggested that the accident happened because of possible “fault in tracks”. The note, exclusively accessed by CNN-News18, also has an account of the accident as described in the loco pilot’s statement.
In the joint note, the loco pilot’s statement mentions that he felt a sudden and strong vibration before a sudden drop in brake pressure followed by the derailment.
Sources said the blood alcohol test of both the loco pilots and assistant loco pilot was negative. A detailed investigation will lead to details if there was any tampering with the tracks, they added.
Officers said the engineers are responsible for track maintenance and it is prima facie in their department.
Officials refused to comment on this, saying it is is an ongoing investigation and a document or a joint note cannot be considered as the final outcome of an investigation.
East Central Railway general manager Tarun Prakash, who was in Raghunathpur to supervise the restoration works, said the first priority is to clear the tracks. He said the cause of the accident will be known only after the investigation is complete.
“…The cause of the derailment will be known only after a proper investigation. At present our priority is to clear the tracks. Until normal traffic is restored, trains running on the route will be diverted,” Prakash said.
Officials said electric wires, poles and tracks have been damaged due to the accident, adding that 21 trains operating on the route have been diverted as a result.
At least 1,500 people boarded the train when it started from Anand Vihar in Delhi. Of them, 1,006 people boarded a relief train from Danapur at 5 am to reach their destinations in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. The number of passengers is high as those having partial tickets or were on the waitlist also boarded. The relief train will reach Kamakhya in Guwahati around 11 pm.
Apart from Delhi, the superfast and passenger-heavy train traverses the four states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam on a daily basis. It has 28 stops on the route, including major stations like Kanpur, Allahabad, Mughalsarai, Patna, Jalpaiguri among others. It covers a distance of 1,856 km in a little over 33 hours.
East Central Railway (ECR) has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured. The Bihar government has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of the deceased. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said out of the four people who died, one was from Bihar while the rest were from other states.
“It’s a very unfortunate incident. We have decided to provide an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next kin of all four people who died in the accident. Besides, the state government is also providing the best medical care to all injured passengers admitted to different hospitals,” he said.
He added: “Our officials are closely monitoring the situation, and they are in touch with all agencies concerned.”
(With PTI inputs)