A train collision in India on Monday, June 17, has killed at least eight passengers while dozens of others got injured.
According to the authorities, a cargo train collided with a passenger train in eastern India, prompting a top official to order for emergency response to the incident, CNN reported.
As per West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Kanchenjunga Express, which travels between Kolkata and Silchar in northeastern Assam, was struck by a cargo train south of Siliguri city.
Sabyasachi De, the spokesperson of Northeast Frontier Railway, told CNN that at least eight people have died in the accident.
Meanwhile, Darjeeling police superintendent Abhishek Roy told reporters that around 30 people got injured in the crash, adding passengers have been transferred to the nearest city and largest railway junction in northeastern India, New Jalpaiguri.
The local Chief Minister, Banerjee, wrote on X (previously Twitter), “Doctors, ambulances and disaster teams have been rushed to the site for rescue, recovery, medical assistance. Action on war footing initiated.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident ‘saddening’ while extending his condolences to the affected families.
Modi, in a post on X, said, “The railway incident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected.”
