Patna: At least four persons were feared dead and over 100 injured after New Delhi (Anand Vihar) Kamakhya Dham North East Superfast train derailed between Buxar and Raghunathpur in Bihar.
The incident happened on Wednesday night.
East Central Railway (ECR) CPRO told IANS, “Four people have died and 21 train coaches derailed near Raghunathpur Railway station yard on Wednesday night.”
The railway official said more than 100 passengers were injured and admitted to several hospitals in Buxar, Arrah, Patna and Dumraon.
Buxar DM Anshul Agrawal confirmed the death of the passengers. The mishap took place around 9.53 p.m. on Wednesday.
Local villagers were the first to respond to the accident and they initiated the rescue operation along with district administration of Buxar and Bhojpur.
The railway officials are investigating the incident. Preliminary investigation revealed that the railway track was found broken at several places. North East Express was having a stoppage at Buxar and its next stop was Arrah.
Sources have said that the train was at a speed of 80 to 90 KMPH when the derailment took place. When the train reached Raghunathpur railway station, it met with an accident.
Ashwini Vaishnav, the Union Railway Minister, has activated the war room for the rescue operation following the derailment.
Teams of NDRF, SDRP, Railway and district administration have been directed for the rescue operation.
The accident site is at least 70 km west of state capital Patna.