Sifung derails off Kokrajhar, 19 hurt

Sifung derails off Kokrajhar, 19 hurtCorrespondent/Staff Reporter

Passengers of the Sifung Passenger train had a providential escape when the train derailed in between Basugaon and Salakati in Chirang district on Saturday. – UB Photos

 BONGAIGAON/GUWAHATI, May 23 – Nineteen people were injured when the 55753 Alipurduar-Guwahati Sifung Passenger train derailed at Champapara between Salakati in Kokrajhar district and Basugaon in Chirang district, around 5.10 am today. Among the injured were two drivers of the train.The train, which had 14 coaches including two goods bogies, had left Alipurduar Junction in North Bengal at 2.45 am. When it reached Champapara – 15 km from Kokrajhar Station – it hit a tree that was lying on the railway track. After ripping the tree apart, the engine rammed into the railings of the nearby Champamati bridge and plunged into the river.
The loco driver Manik Ghose (49) and his assistant Jitendra Kumar (32), however, jumped out of the cabin of the engine and in the process, received injuries to their limbs and chests.
“The train, which was running at 100km/hour speed, hit the tree lying on the track and derailed because of the curved track,” said a running staff of the train at New Bongaigaon.
Ramen Barman (35), a resident of Champapara who witnessed the mishap, said, “I saw the train hitting the tree on the track. The train then derailed and its engine plunged into the river. Railway security forces arrived on the spot and we, the local people, rushed to the rescue of the injured passengers.”
NF Railway CPRO Pranav Jyoti Sharma said several passenger trains have been cancelled. They include the New Jalpaiguri-Dekargaon Passenger, Fakiragram-Kamakhya Passenger, New Jalpaiguri-New Coochbehar Special, Dhubri-Fakiragram Passenger, Guwahati-Alipurduar Junction Passenger, Kamakhya-Fakiragram Passenger, Silghat-Dhubri Rajyarani Express, New Coochbehar-New Jalpaiguri Special and Kamakhya-Alipurduar Intercity Express. The Fakiragram-Dhubri Passenger scheduled for tomorrow has also been cancelled. However, no long-distance train has been cancelled, Sharma said.