The casualty count in the collision involving the Kanchanjunga Express and a goods train in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district has tragically risen to 10, according to officials. A spokesperson from the state administration confirmed the death of a Kanchanjunga Express passenger who had been receiving medical care at North Bengal Medical College Hospital in Siliguri and passed away early Tuesday.
Earlier, on Monday, recovery teams discovered nine bodies, including the goods train’s locomotive operator, the guard of the Kanchanjunga Express, and seven passengers from the affected compartments.
Railway authorities reported that among the 10 fatalities confirmed thus far, seven individuals have been positively identified. These include Asish De (47), the guard of the Kanchanjunga Express, and Anil Kumar (46), the goods train’s locomotive operator. The remaining identified victims are Subhajit Mali (32), Celeb Subba (36), Beauty Begum (41), Shankar Mohan Das (63), and Vijay Kumar Raj.
Subba was identified as a sub-inspector with the West Bengal Police. Efforts are ongoing to ascertain the identities of the other three deceased individuals. Railway officials noted that the impact on casualties was mitigated due to the rear part of the Kanchanjunga Express primarily comprising the parcel and guard’s coaches, with the passenger compartments further forward experiencing less severe damage.
Meanwhile, the Kanchanjunga Express, affected by the incident, arrived at Sealdah station at 3:20 a.m. on Tuesday, transporting passengers from the unaffected sections. They were received at the station by Firhad Hakim, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Urban Development, Kolkata Mayor, Snehasis Chakraborty, Minister of Transport, and senior officials from Sealdah Division and the railway department. Adequate provisions of food and drinking water were made available to the passengers at the station.
