Six coaches, locomotive of Kolkata-Sairang Express derail in Assam; no injuries reported

A locomotive and five coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express (Train No. 13125) derailed at Digaru Railway Station in Kamrup (Metro) district of Assam on Wednesday morning.

A locomotive and five coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express (Train No. 13125) derailed at Digaru Railway Station in Kamrup (Metro) district of Assam on Wednesday morning. No injuries or casualties have been reported, according to Northeast Frontier Railway.

The derailment occurred at around 6:54 am. Northeast Frontier Railway said all passengers were safe and were being transported to their destinations by an alternative train. Relief and rescue operations have also been launched. A local resident who reached the spot after hearing about the incident said he saw six coaches derailed near the railway station.

“I was out for my morning walk when I heard about the accident. I rushed to the spot, which is around 500 metres from Digaru Railway Station. When I reached the site, I saw that six coaches had derailed. There have been no reports of casualties,” the resident said The resident alleged that the train may have suffered brake failure and said several houses were located near the accident site.

“We have heard that the train suffered brake failure. There were several houses nearby, but fortunately, no one was harmed,” he said. Demanding accountability, the resident calling for action against those responsible for the incident said, “An engine's brakes failed even in this age of technology; this is a very big deal. We want to ask the Railway Ministry, all the officers of NF Railway of Maligaon; we want to ask them, what is this? Don't you check it? This must be investigated and those responsible should be punished. This is our demand.”

Passengers are being transported to their destinations by an alternate train, while relief and rescue operations have been initiated. The General Manager and other railway officials have proceeded to the site. Further details are awaited.

Earlier, two wheels of a freight train derailed near Dhedela in Gujarat while travelling from Dahod toward Jakot, affecting traffic on the down line on Monday night. The empty freight train was heading toward Madhya Pradesh at the time of the incident. Two Delhi-bound trains were delayed following the derailment. Following the incident, Railway teams immediately initiated restoration work.  No injuries were reported in the incident.

In another incident, seven empty railway coaches, which reportedly rolled away unattended from the railway yard at Jolarpettai Junction in Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district, travelled nearly six kilometres without an engine before derailing near Thamaleri Muthur, disrupting train services between Bengaluru and Chennai. The incident triggered an emergency response, with railway authorities alerting officials to stop trains approaching Jolarpettai from Bengaluru at various locations to prevent a possible collision.  (ANI)