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Rajdhani Express Derailed: Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with a herd of elephants in Nagaon, Assam. 7 elephants died in this accident. The train engine and 5 coaches derailed. However all the passengers are safe. They have been shifted to other bogies of the train and taken to Guwahati. Meanwhile, work to repair the track is going on. Operations are expected to start soon.
Rajdhani Express Derailed: A painful train accident took place in Nagaon district of Assam in the early hours of Saturday. Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express train number 20507 collided with a herd of elephants. The incident occurred between 2:17 am and 2:23 am in the Jamunamukh-Kanpur section of Lumding division. The collision was so strong that the engine and five coaches of the train derailed. According to railway officials, the train was passing through Kanpur area, about 126 km from Guwahati, when a herd of elephants suddenly appeared on the track. As soon as the loco pilot saw the elephants, he immediately applied emergency brakes, but due to the high speed and short distance, it was not possible to avoid the collision. In this accident, 7 elephants died on the spot, while one baby elephant was seriously injured.
It is a matter of relief that no passenger in the train was injured in this accident. Railways clarified that all the passengers are completely safe. As soon as information about the accident was received, relief and rescue trains reached the spot. Senior officials including General Manager of NF Railway and DRM of Lumding Division reached the spot and supervised the rescue operations. Passengers traveling in the affected coaches were temporarily shifted to the vacant berths of other coaches. After separating the damaged coaches, the train was sent to Guwahati in the morning. Upon reaching Guwahati, additional coaches will be added to the train, after which it will continue its onward journey. This train was started in the month of September this year.
Train operations disrupted
Due to this accident, train operations were disrupted in the affected section. At present, trains passing through this route have been diverted from the up line. Railway officials said that the work of restoring operations has been completed expeditiously and both the lines will soon become normal. It is noteworthy that this area does not fall in the elephant corridor marked by the Railways, yet the coming of wild elephants on the track is a matter of concern. Due to the proximity of railway tracks and forests in Assam, such incidents keep coming to light from time to time. Railways and Forest Department are jointly taking measures to prevent such accidents.
