RailEnquiry

Old Malda, Dec. 27: The ghost of the Gaisal train disaster in 1999 came back to haunt the Brahmaputra Mail today when 11 coaches of the Delhi-bound train derailed near here.

The passengers had a providential escape. Sixteen people were injured but none of them required treatment beyond first aid. Some of the coaches, though, were badly damaged. A couple even ended up dangling near a ditch beside the tracks.

Senior railway officials rushed to the spot fearing the worst as the same train had met with one of the worst accidents ever recorded in Indian Railways’ history. In August 1999, the mail had rammed into the Awadh-Assam Express near Gaisal station, killing 285 people and injuring more than 300.

Today’s accident occurred around 4.50 am, when the Guwahati-New Delhi mail’s engine and 11 other coaches jumped out of track four. The remaining bogies came to halt on track five.

Rail officials said the train was gathering speed after crossing a narrow bridge and clocked 70 km per hour as it approached old Malda station, where it was not scheduled to stop. However, driver M.K. Karmakar slammed the emergency brakes after he felt a jerk and realised that the engine wheels were off the tracks.

The passengers, most of whom were asleep, were injured as they fell from the bunks. “We felt a sudden jerk but could not make out what had happened as it was dark. People were shouting for help and we were all in shock,” recalled one of those injured.

Charanjit Singh, divisional railway manager (Kathiar), arrived in minutes with other officials and led the mission to help panic-stricken passengers evacuate the derailed compartments.

“We are surprised that a train supposed to travel on track four ended up on track five. Only a detailed reconstruction of events will reveal how this happened,” said Suresh Kumar Nagarwala, the chief safety engineer of Northern Frontier Railway.