4 Dead, 70 Injured As 21 Coaches Of North East Express Derail In Bihar's Buxar, PM Modi Expresses Grief — Top Points

Four people, travelling by the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express, have died after the train derailed in Bihar's Buxar district on Wednesday night.

At least four passengers lost their lives and 70 others were injured after 21 coaches of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express derailed near the Raghunathpur station in Bihar's Buxar district on Wednesday at 9:53 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident. PM Modi took to X and said, "Pained by the loss of lives due to the derailment of a few coaches of the North East Express. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for a quick recovery of the injured. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to all those affected".

Train services were affected due to the incident, as Indian Railways cancelled ten trains and diverted 21. A helpline number has been issued by the authorities at the Assam's Kamakhya Junction for the passengers of Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express who are set to arrive at Kamakhya Junction in Guwahati, Assam. "We have issued a helpline number - 03612674957 - for those injured in the accident," said Anuj Kumar Sinha, Station Master at Kamakhya Junction, as quoted by PTI.

Senior CCTC at Kamakhya Junction, TB Bhujel said, "As per information, 1006 passengers are coming (to Kamakhya Junction) in the special train. We will provide them all necessary assistance," as quoted by PTI.

Here Are Top Points:

• Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed condolences for those who died in the accident and vowed to “find the root cause of derailment”. The minister said evacuation and rescue operations were completed and all coaches have been checked. 


• A Railway Police Force official said at least 70 passengers have been injured and shifted to local hospitals. Those with serious injuries were rushed to AIIMS, Patna. Train services were affected due to the incident, as Indian Railways cancelled ten trains and diverted 21.


• According to a statement issued by the East Central Railway zone, trains that have been cancelled include: Patna-Puri Special (03230), Sasaram-Ara Special (03620), Bhabua Road Express Special (03617), Patna--DDU Memu Pass Spl (03203), Patna-Buxar Memu Pass Special (03375). Besides, two trains have been partially cancelled and they include: Patna-DDU Express (13209) which will run upto Ara and DDU-Patna Express (13210), which will also run upto Ara.


• Trains that have been diverted onto alternate routes include: Raxaul Antyodaya Express (15548), Dibrugarh Express (15945), Magadh Express (20802), Barauni Express (19483), Asansol SF Express (12362), Guwahati Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express (22450), Brahmaputra Mail (15657) among others.


• The railways has also issued emergency helpline numbers for passengers. These are 9771449971 (Patna), 8905697493 (Danapur), 8306182542 (Ara), 8306182542 and 7759070004. Other helpline numbers for passengers are: New Delhi (01123341074, 9717631960), Anand Vihar Terminal (9717632791), Commercial Control Delhi Division ( 9717633779), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (9794849461, 8081206628), Commercial Control of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (8081212134), Pryagraj (0532-2408128, 0532-2407353, 0532-2408149) and Fatehpur (05180-222026, 05180-222025.


• The 23-coach 12506 North East Express had departed the Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi at 7:40 am on Wednesday for its nearly 33-hour journey to Kamakhya, about six kilometres away from Guwahati, PTI reported.

We Are Closely Monitoring Situation, Says Assam CM Sarma  

The Assam Chief Minister's office has also reacted to the incident and said, "Chief Minister’s Office is closely monitoring the unfortunate derailment of Train Number 12506 in Raghunathpur and is in touch with the District authorities in Buxar & other agencies."

Meanwhile, Assam CM Himanta Sarma tweeted, "I have received the news of the derailment of North East Express 12506 - from Anand Vihar to Kamakhya. We are closely monitoring the situation and are establishing contact with local authorities and other agencies."

Locals, Police Officials Helped Passengers 

As the incident occurred, the locals were the first to reach the site to rescue the passengers. Visuals on the television showed locals helping passengers come out of at least two toppled coaches. The visuals also showed a woman passenger in a state of shock being helped out of a coach by locals.

"The train was coming at a normal speed but suddenly we heard a loud sound and a plume of smoke rose out of the train. We rushed to see what happened. We saw that the train had derailed and the AC coaches were the most damaged,” Hari Pathak, a resident told the news agency. Several police officials were also seen at the spot helping rescue passengers from the train. Relief measures were initiated immediately after the incident, with ambulances and doctors rushing to the site.

Departments Of Disaster Management, Health Asked To Take Immediate Steps: Tejashwi Yadav 

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav issued a statement saying that the departments of disaster management and health have been asked to take immediate steps to ensure the quickest possible relief to as many people as possible.

"I have also spoken to the district magistrates of Buxar and Bhojpur (where Ara is headquartered) with instructions to reach the site at the earliest and speed up relief work," he said. "In Sub-Divisional Hospital Jagdishpur and Shahpur Hospital, District Bhojpur, medical officers and other health workers are ready for rescue and relief operations. Ambulances from Rohtas, Buxar and Bhojpur districts have been sent to the spot," Yadav added.