Bengal Train Accident: Rescue Teams Scramble Desperately to Save Trapped Victims

Early on a rainy morning in north Bengal’s Rangapani, Mohammad Hamid was walking home after offering namaz at the local mosque, eagerly anticipating celebrating Eid with his family. However, at 8:55 am, just as he was about to enter his home, Hamid heard an almighty crash. It was the sound of a goods train careening into the rear end of the Kanchanjunga Express, resulting in a devastating accident that left nine people dead and 41 injured. 

Hamid, along with several other villagers from Rangapani, immediately ran to the site of the accident to offer help. “The accident happened not far from my home. I froze for a few seconds and then realised the passengers needed help. Some of my neighbours and I dashed to help. When we got close to the site, all we could hear were people crying for help from inside a mangled coach of the express train,” Hamid recounted.

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In the minutes following the crash, Hamid and other villagers cautiously clambered around the debris, pulling out as many passengers as they could. “We rescued at least eight passengers, some of whom appeared to have serious injuries. We also brought out the driver and his assistant from the mangled cabin of the goods train, as well as the guard of the passenger train. Two of them have died. The police arrived half an hour later, after which many agencies came, including railway protection force personnel,” Hamid explained.

Mohammad Raju, another resident of Rangapani, witnessed the accident from the village. “The passenger train was running at a slow speed but the goods train was moving faster. Four coaches jumped off the track after the accident. We rescued 14 injured passengers, and even I suffered an injury in my right arm while I was trying to pry open the door of a coach,” Raju said.

While village residents were the first responders, the accident site soon became crowded with personnel from various agencies, including the state police, district administration, SDRF, and NDRF. Senior NDRF officials reported that they reached the site within half an hour, deploying 90 rescuers from three different teams.

Gurminder Singh, commandant of the NDRF’s second battalion, commented on the swift response. “Within half an hour, rescuers were at the spot because the nearest NDRF camp is in Matigara, which is very close to New Jalpaiguri. Our rescuers found three bodies and rescued five injured who were trapped in the bogies. As of 7 pm on Monday, all passengers have been shifted to hospital or released after first aid.”

A second NDRF official at the site mentioned that despite having plasma and gasoline cutters, the personnel had to initially use basic tools to cut through the metal. The coordinated efforts of the villagers and rescue teams helped manage the aftermath of the tragic accident, ensuring that all those trapped were attended to as quickly as possible.