Kolkata, Nov 11 More than 300 passengers from West Bengal were on board the Kolkata-Sairang Express that derailed near Assam’s Guwahati on Wednesday, prompting railway authorities to set up helpdesks at several stations to assist them, an official said.
Four persons suffered minor injuries after five coaches and the engine of the train derailed at Digaru in the morning, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said earlier in the day.
“Our data shows that over 300 passengers travelled from West Bengal, covering stations like Kolkata, Naihati, Krishnanagar, and the Malda and Katihar Divisions, who were heading beyond Guwahati,” an Eastern Railway official said.
“We are assisting them. Helpdesks have been set up for the passengers and their families,” he said.
There is no report of any fatality in the incident, he said, adding that officials from the Eastern Railway rushed to the accident site.
The helpdesks have been set up at Sealdah, Alipurduar, Naihati and Berhampore Court stations to provide assistance and information to passengers and their families from West Bengal, the official said.
The accident occurred when the Kolkata-Sairang Express was entering the Digaru railway station in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, and the loco pilot gave precedence to another train, but could not control the speed, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said.
Passengers are being taken to their destinations on an alternative train, he said.
(PTI News)
