Bihar train accident highlights: Fault in tracks likely cause of derailment, says initial probe

Bihar Train Accident Today Updates: At least four persons were killed and around 70 people were injured after 21 coaches of the express train derailed.

The accident came just over four months after a horrific triple train tragedy in Odisha's Balasore district in June claimed 296 lives.

Bihar Train Accident Today Updates: Four people died and around 70 people were injured after the express train en route to Kamakhya junction in Assam from Delhi derailed in Bihar at 9.35 pm on Wednesday. The derailment took place near Raghunathpur station of the Danapur division of the East Central Railway. Five trains have been cancelled so far while several diverted as restoration of the tracks is currently underway. The Patna-Puri special, Sasaram-Ara passenger special, Ara-BBU special, Patna-DDU special and Patna-BXR trains were cancelled and 12 trains were diverted in the down direction on the mainline, including Kota-Patna express, Delhi-KYQ express, CSMT-Asansol express, Magadh express, LTT-DBRG express after the accident.

Follow all the updates here:

• 12 Oct 2023, 07:00:07 PM IST

  Tragedy, injury, worries haunt survivors at hospitals

  Manish Kumar, 18, sits anxiously outside the emergency of Patna’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), waiting for the doctors to decide on the surgery of his elder brother Mukesh Kumar, 24, who has suffered a femoral shaft fracture of the left leg, after a few coaches of the 12506 North East Express, from Anand Vihar terminal in New Delhi to Kamakhya in Assam’s capital Guwahati, derailed late Wednesday evening.

  With memories of the trauma fresh, what worries him now is the cost on his brother’s surgery.

  “I had to deposit ₹2,000 for my brother Mukesh’s treatment at AIIMS this morning. I am not sure if I will have to pay for the surgery, which will hopefully be done tomorrow. The Railways have given me ₹50,000, which is all I have right now,” said Manish.

  The railways have been prompt to give compensation to the victims within 12 hours of the mishap.

  As a cook in a small-time hotel of Bihar’s Madhubani district, Mukesh, an intermediate passout, is the only earning member in his family of four. His father, Garbhulal Yadav, is unemployed, and mother Shyama Devi is a homemaker. Manish is studying in class 12 of Watson high school in Madhubani.

• 12 Oct 2023, 06:54:17 PM IST

  Fault in tracks likely cause of derailment of North East Express: Preliminary probe

  Fault in railway tracks was the possible cause of derailment of all the coaches of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express in Bihar, sources said on Thursday citing a preliminary investigation report. At least four people were killed and several injured in the accident in Bihar's Buxar district Wednesday night. "It seems that derailment occurred due to fault in tracks," the report, signed by six railway officials, stated.

  However, other railway officials pointed out that the train was brought to a sudden halt by applying brakes when it was travelling at great speed.

• 12 Oct 2023, 06:47:29 PM IST

  Hemant Soren on Bihar railway tragedy

  "Functioning of Railways depends on the Indian government. In the same manner, ensuring safety is also its responsibility. The incident is quite unfortunate," says Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren JMM on derailment of North East Express train in Bihar's Buxar.

• 12 Oct 2023, 06:39:41 PM IST

  "Committed to assist everyone affected": Nitish Kumar assures assistance by state after Buxar train accident

  Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday pledged the state government's support to all the victims of the train accident that occurred following the derailment of 21 coaches of the North East Express train in Buxar last night.

  Earlier in the day, Kumar announced ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh to be provided to the families of individuals who lost their lives in the accident.

  Talking to the reporters here, the CM said, "As soon as we learned about the accident, our teams have been working diligently. Regrettably, four people have lost their lives, but we are committed to assist everyone affected..."

• 12 Oct 2023, 05:36:08 PM IST

  Technical error more than human error likely cause of rail mishap

  As the railways have formed an expert committee to look into the reasons that led to the derailment of 21 coaches of Anand Vihar Terminal-Kamakhiya North-East Express near Raghunathpur station under Danapur rail division of East Central Railway that left four passengers dead and 71 others injured, several questions are being raised over the cause of the mishap.

  CPRO ECR Birendra Kumar said that the incident is being probed by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) and they have started looking into all technical aspects before arriving at any conclusion. “You will come to know after some time ,” said the CPRO.

  DG safety, railway board member R N Sunkar, member traction and rolling machines, Navin Gulati and CRS Subhmay Mitra reached the spot and inquired about the incident.

  The train derailed months after faulty connections in the automated signalling system led to India’s worst rail disaster in two decades. On June 2, 288 people were killed and over 1,000 injured in Odisha’s Bahanaga Bazar when a passenger train hit a stationary freight train before jumping off the tracks and hitting another passenger train in the opposite direction.

• 12 Oct 2023, 05:10:40 PM IST

  Bihar train accident : Bodies of two victims being taken by road to Assam

  Bodies of a woman and her daughter, two of the four dead in the derailment of the North East Express near Raghunathpur in Bihar, are being brought in an ambulance to their home in Tinsukia district in Assam, a railway official said on Thursday. The two are 37-year-old Usha Bhandari and her eight-year-old daughter Akriti, Northeast Frontier Railway public relations officer Dipak Deka told PTI. The woman was travelling with her husband Deepak Bhandari and twin daughters from Delhi to her paternal home at Sadiya in Assam's Tinsukia district. While she and one of the daughters died in the accident, her husband and other daughter escaped unhurt.

  "The Railways arranged everything and an official is also accompanying them in the ambulance. We are keeping track of the vehicle's movement," Deka said.

  East Central Railway travelling ticket examiner Navin Kumar, who is accompanying the bereaved family, said that they started their over 1450 km-long journey at 1.45 pm.

• 12 Oct 2023, 04:48:47 PM IST

  Buxar Train mishap: Mother-daughter among 4 dead, 71 injured; probe on to find cause

  At least four passengers, including a mother and daughter, died and 71 others were injured after 21 coaches of the Delhi-Kamakhya Northeast Express derailed near Raghunathpur station, which has just three platforms and stoppages of just two trains during night, in Bihar's Buxar district Wednesday night, said the railway authorities. However, the East Central Railway (ECR) put the number of injured at 30, five of whom received critical injuries.

  “A high-level probe by the expert committee has been ordered to find out the cause of the incident,” said the chief public relation officer (CPRO), ECR, Birendra Kumar.

  The train derailed months after faulty connections in the automated signaling system led to India’s worst rail disaster in two decades. On June 2, 288 people were killed and over 1,000 injured in Odisha’s Bahanaga Bazar when a passenger train hit a stationary freight train before jumping off the tracks and hitting another passenger train in the opposite direction.

• 12 Oct 2023, 04:28:37 PM IST

  12 passengers injured in Bihar train accident admitted to AIIMS Patna

  Ten patients who sustained injuries in the Raghunathpur (Bihar) train accident were admitted to Patna's AIIMS hospital in the night while two more were admitted to the hospital on Thursday morning, said Executive Director of AIIMS Patna, Gopal Krishna Pal in a press release.

  Four of the 10 injured admitted at night had suffered serious injuries, including a femur fracture of one patient, a clavicle fracture of another patient, a condylar bone fracture of one patient and a cervical (neck) fracture of another patient, said the official statement.

  The other six patients had minor soft tissue injuries.

• 12 Oct 2023, 04:07:46 PM IST

  1,006 of around 1,500 passengers of derailed NE Express travelling in relief train

  A total of 1,006 people were travelling in the relief train to reach their destinations after the North East Express derailed in Bihar's Buxar district, a senior railway official said here on Thursday.

  Around 1,500 passengers were in the North East Express when it started its 33-hour-long journey from Delhi's Anand Vihar station for Khamakhya in Assam's Guwahati on Wednesday morning, he said.

  After the accident on Wednesday night, a total of 1,006 passengers boarded a relief train at Danapur to reach their destinations in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, he added.

  "Around 1,500 passengers boarded the train when it started in Delhi at 7.40 am yesterday. The number is a little high because those having partial tickets or were in the wait list also boarded," Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De told PTI.

• 12 Oct 2023, 04:02:54 PM IST

  Buxar train accident: Mandaviya instructs Patna AIIMS to give best treatment to injured

  Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that he has given instructions to All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS), Patna that quick and best treatment be given to the injured in the train accident in Buxar.

  "Instructions have been given to AIIMS, Patna for quick and best treatment of the passengers injured in the train accident in Buxar, Bihar. I am told that the seriously injured passenger is in AIIMS and is in stable condition. The central government is committed to providing all types of health facilities," Mandaviya posted on X.

  Northeast Frontier Railway CPRO Sabyasachi De said that four persons died and 42 others were injured following the derailment of Kamakhya-bound North East Express in Bihar's Buxar district on Wednesday night.

• 12 Oct 2023, 03:29:05 PM IST

  Fault in tracks likely cause for derailment of North East Express: Preliminary probe

  Fault in tracks was the possible cause of derailment of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express in Bihar in which four people were killed and several injured, sources said on Thursday citing a preliminary investigation report.

  The report, signed by six railway officials including the driver of the ill-fated train, stated, "It seems that derailment occurred due to fault in tracks."

  It estimated the cost of damage due to the accident at more than ₹52 crore.

  The loco pilot was partially injured and his assistant suffered serious injuries in the accident Wednesday night.

• 12 Oct 2023, 03:07:51 PM IST

  Buxar train mishap: Cousins meet different fate on ill-fated train

  Abu Jaid, 27, a part-time motor vehicle driver, and his cousin Md Nasir, 18, met with different fate while travelling in the same AC-III tier coach (B7) of the ill-fated 12506 North East Express from Anand Vihar terminal in New Delhi to Kamakhya in Assam’s capital Guwahati, when some of its bogies derailed near the Raghunathpur railway station in Bihar’s Buxar district late Wednesday evening.

  While Nasir escaped unscathed, Jaid, travelling on berth number 68, was among the four casualties reported so far in the train mishap. All the four casualties were of passengers travelling in B7 coach.

  Jaid, a resident of Saptiya Bishanpur village under Kochadhaman police station of Bihar’s Kishanganj district, was returning from Delhi, where he had gone three days ago along with his sister and brother-in-law, to see them off for Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the Ḥaj, which has specific dates according to the Islamic lunar calendar.

• 12 Oct 2023, 02:55:12 PM IST

  'Worrying that such major accidents happen again and again', says Arvind Kejriwal on Buxar train accident

  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal raised concerns on the tragic Buxar train incident in which 4 people were killed and many others got injured and said that it is worrying that such major accidents happen again and again.

  Arvind Kejriwal took to X and said "The train accident that happened in Buxar, Bihar is very sad. My condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. I pray to God that all the injured get well soon and return to their families."

  "The Central Government will have to be alert to prevent such train accidents, it is worrying that such major accidents happen again and again," Kejriwal added.

• 12 Oct 2023, 02:47:55 PM IST

  'Suddenly, all of us started getting tossed': Passengers recall Bihar train accident horror

  Coaches can be seen strewn on both sides of the track, a few of these several feet away, in Raghunathpur, a non-descript town in Buxar district of Bihar where the North East Express derailed.

  Four AC coaches, all of which have jumped the rails but remained coupled, form a scary serpentine pattern with shattered window panes serving as a telltale sign.

  The guard of the Assam-bound train, Vijay Kumar, recalls having fallen unconscious by the impact of the derailment.

  "I was busy with my paperwork when I realised that the driver suddenly applied brakes. This was followed by a few jerks and I fainted. Later, I found myself in the adjoining fields, where villagers were sprinkling drops of water on my face," said Kumar, who has sustained minor injuries.

  With the rescue of passengers complete, the focus is now on restoration.

• 12 Oct 2023, 02:46:46 PM IST

  8-year-old girl, mother among Bihar train accident victims

  An eight-year-old girl and her mother who were travelling to Assam were among the four passengers who died in the train derailment near Buxar in Bihar, a railway official said.

  The eight-year-old girl has been identified as Akriti Bhandari and her mother Usha Bhandari (37). The girl's father, who was also travelling with them, survived the accident.

  Narendra Kumar from Rajasthan and Abu Zayed (27) from Purnia were the other two who lost their lives when the 12506 North East Express derailed near Raghunathpur in Buxar district on Wednesday night.

  Zayed's friend, who was travelling with him, survived the accident.

• 12 Oct 2023, 02:43:29 PM IST

  I pray for quick recovery of injured: PM Modi condoles death of passengers

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condoled those who lost their lives in the October 11 train derailment incident in Bihar's Buxar district.

  "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," the Prime Minister's office quoted Narendra Modi as saying.

  The 12506 North-East Express train was headed to Kamakhya near Guwahati in Assam from the national capital's Anand Vihar Terminal when several coaches jumped rails near Raghunathpur station of Danapur division of the East Central Railway in Buxar, Bihar.

• 12 Oct 2023, 02:23:31 PM IST

  Instructions given to AIIMS Patna for quick treatment of passengers: Mandaviya

  Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya says, "Instructions have been given to AIIMS, Patna for quick and best treatment of the passengers injured in the train accident in Buxar, Bihar. The seriously injured passenger is admitted to AIIMS and is in stable condition. The central government is committed to providing all types of health facilities."

• 12 Oct 2023, 02:17:38 PM IST

  At least 4 passengers killed in the accident

  At least four passengers died and 80 others injured were injured after 21 coaches of the Delhi-Kamakhya Northeast Express derailed near the Raghunathpur station in Bihar's Buxar district on Wednesday night, said the railway authorities.

  “Four persons have died in the mishap. We are probing the cause of the accident,” said East Central Railway general manager (GM) Tanuj Prakash.

  Of the four dead, three have been identified. They are Usha Bhandari (33), Akriti Bhandari (8) and Abu Jayand (27). The identity of the fourth passenger was yet to be established.

• 12 Oct 2023, 01:59:41 PM IST

  43 Assam passengers receiving treatment in Bihar: CMO

  “One passenger from Assam,travelling on Train 12506 which derailed last evening, is receiving treatment at AIIMS-Patna. Another 42 persons are receiving treatment in Buxar,” Assam CMO said on X, adding that it is monitoring the situation and is in touch with relevant authorities.

• 12 Oct 2023, 01:26:55 PM IST

  Nadda condoles Buxar train accident

  Bharatiya Janata Party President JP Nadda condoled the death of 4 people in the Buxar train accident.

  "The news of the train accident that took place late at night in Buxar, Bihar is extremely sad. At night, I took information about the relief work from Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary and BJP MP from Buxar and Union Minister Ashwani Choubey. Railway administration is rapidly engaged in relief work. I express my deep condolences to the bereaved family. I pray to God for peace of all the departed souls and speedy recovery of the injured," Nadda said in a social media post.

• 12 Oct 2023, 12:42:09 PM IST

  Shiv Sena (UBT) leader calls for probe into train mishap, accuses govt of sidelining safety

  “It is a matter of concern that three trains collided in Odisha and more than 300 lives were lost. One more derailment has taken place. This should be investigated. We still don't know the reason behind the Odisha train mishap,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi told ANI.

  “On one hand, we are inaugurating a new Vande Bharat Express every day and on the other hand, we are sidelining safety. I hope all of these will be investigated and its report will be presented before the public in a time-bound manner,” she added.

• 12 Oct 2023, 12:39:32 PM IST

  Bihar train accident LIVE updates: PM Modi condoles death of passengers

  “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,” the Prime Minister's Office quoted Narendra Modi as saying.

• 12 Oct 2023, 12:17:30 PM IST

  CRS to probe Buxar train derailment: Official

  The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will investigate the cause of the train derailment.

  "Commissioner of Safety (Railways) to investigate the accident. It will be done by Eastern Circle, Kolkata," Virendra Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer of East Central Railway (ECR) said.

• 12 Oct 2023, 12:16:09 PM IST

  Passengers to reach Kamakhya by around 11pm: Official

  North Frontier Railway CPRO Sabyasachi De told ANI that the rescue operation was complete by 2am and the passengers left for the destination at around 5am.

  “The train is expected to reach Kamakhya Railway Station at around 11 pm tonight. At the site, the line is being cleared...Around 1000 passengers have started their journey from Danapur, out of which 50-60 percent are from Assam...”

• 12 Oct 2023, 12:01:02 PM IST

  Kejriwal condoles loss of lives in Bihar train accident

  Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal condoled the loss of lives in the train derailment and said the Centre needs to be alert to prevent such accidents.

  "The train accident in Buxar, Bihar is extremely sad. My condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. I pray to God that all the injured get well soon and return to their families," he said.

  "The Centre will have to be alert to prevent such train accidents. It is worrying that such major accidents happen again and again," he said in a post on X.

• 12 Oct 2023, 11:51:03 AM IST

  Meghalaya sets up helpline for Bihar train derailment

  The Meghalaya government has set up a helpline for the people of the state who were travelling in the North East Express that derailed in Bihar's Buxar district, chief minister Conrad K Sangma said on Thursday. In case any person needs assistance, the state authorities can be reached at 1800 345 3644, officials said.

• 12 Oct 2023, 11:42:27 AM IST

  Probe into cause of mishap underway: Bihar LoP

  Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Vijay Kumar Sinha expressed grief over the train derailed that killed four and injured many and said an investigation into the cause of the mishap is underway.