Ranchi, Jan 11 (IANS) Five people were killed and 14 injured when the New Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail hit a stationary goods train at Karanpurato station of Jharkhand’s Sahebganj district on Wednesday morning, an official said. The railways have suspended six employees for dereliction of duties.
‘Five people have been killed in the accident. Fourteen were injured, two critically,’ Sahebganj Deputy Commissioner Arun Kumar Singh said over the phone.
‘A sleeper coach of the Brahmaputra Mail got derailed. A rescue operation is on,’ he added.
A railway official said: ‘The goods train had halted as its engine developed a snag. The passenger train hit it.’ The incident took place at 5.50 a.m. The accident spot is about 500 km from here.
The Brahmaputra Mail was bound for New Delhi from Dibrugarh.
‘We were sleeping when the accident took place. I woke after the sudden collision and fell on the floor of the coach,’ said Shyam Kumar, a passenger of the Brahmaputra Mail.
The railway ministry has announced compensation of Rs.5 lakh for the kin of each of the dead passenger. The seriously injured will be given Rs.50,000 each and those with minor injuries will get Rs.10,000 each.
The railways also announced that the commissioner of railway safety, eastern circle, will conduct a probe into the accident and submit a detailed report.
A coach of the Brahmaputra Mail derailed after the train rammed into the goods train, which had rolled back from the main line.
Those suspended include R.K. Paswan, driver of the goods train, A.K. Singh, assistant driver of the goods train, Ajay Kumar, guard of the goods train, A.N. Yadav, loco inspector at Sahibganj, and Aniruddh Kumar, on-duty assistant station master of Karanpurato station.
