At least eight people lost their lives and 25 others sustained injuries in a collision between a passenger train and a goods train near New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal early on Monday morning.
The tragic incident evoked memories of last year's Balasore train tragedy, with visuals from the accident site showing a passenger train coach dramatically suspended in the air following the collision.
So, what exactly transpired to cause Monday's accident? Here’s an explanation.
According to railway officials, the 13174 Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express, which had departed from Sabroom railway station in South Tripura district on Sunday, bound for Kolkata, was struck from behind by a goods train.
The collision caused the derailment of the brake van or the guard’s van, along with two parcel vans. Railway officials reported that data from the National Train Enquiry System website indicated that the brake van was the rear-most carriage, followed by two luggage coaches. Ahead of these were two cars designated for unreserved passengers.
Television visuals also displayed numerous containers from the goods train scattered near the track close to Tin Mile Hat, a small train halt near Aluabari Road railway station in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.
In New Delhi, Railway Board Chairman and CEO Jaya Varma Sinha attributed the accident to the goods train driver's disregard for a red signal, noting that the driver was among the casualties.
The accident occurred at approximately 8:55 am, and the train resumed its journey to its destination at around 2:42 pm, according to railway data. Sinha also mentioned that the railway’s flagship anti-collision system, KAVACH, was not operational on this route.
In the aftermath of the accident, the railway authorities cancelled as many as 19 trains and diverted several others.
This region has a history of severe train disasters. In 1999, one of the worst train accidents in India took place when the Guwahati-bound Awadh Assam Express collided head-on with the Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail at Gaisal railway station, located nearly 48 km from the site of Monday’s accident, resulting in 287 fatalities.
