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8 coaches of Agartala-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express derail in Assam
An accident relief train and another accident relief medical train have been put into service and senior railway officials rushed to the site
GUWAHATI: Eight coaches of the Agartala-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express on the way from Agartala in Tripura to Mumbai derailed on Thursday at Dibalong station in Assam, officials said. There were no reports of fatality or major injuries.
The passenger train (No. 12520), which left Agartala on Thursday morning, derailed at Dibalong station under Lumding division in the Lumding - Bardarpur Hill section at about 3:55 pm, officials of Northeastern Frontier Railways (NFR) said.
“Few coaches and the engine of the train got derailed. However, no casualty or major injuries have been reported,” Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, chief public relations officer of NFR said in a bulletin. In a post on X later, the Press Information Bureau in Tripura put the total number of coaches that were derailed at eight.
An accident relief train and another accident relief medical train have been put into service and senior railway officials rushed to the site to supervise the rescue and restoration works.
Running of trains over the Lumding – Badarpur single line section has been suspended till the coaches are removed from the tracks. There was no immediate information on the cause of the derailment. Officials informed that the train was running at a slow pace, which prevented a major disaster.
“There has been no casualty or major injury, and all passengers are safe. We are coordinating railway authorities and relief train will shortly reach the site,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X.
“Relieved to hear all passengers of Lokmanya Tilak Express are safe after some compartments derailed. Thankfully, low speed minimized impact, and no injuries reported,” Tripura chief minister Manik Saha said on X.
Railway authorities said two helpline numbers, 03674 263120 and 03674 263126 are operational. A separate train has been arranged for the stranded passengers. As a result of derailment several trains will remain short-terminated, cancelled, rescheduled and regulated, they added.
