A major train accident occurred in Jharkhand's Sahibganj on Tuesday, which resulted in the death of three people, including two loco pilots. According to reports, a coal-laden freight train collided with an empty goods train in Sahibganj district.
As per the information, at least five railway workers and a CRPF jawan also sustained injuries in the accident. All the injured individuals are currently receiving treatment at the Community Health Center in Barhait. Following the incident, the administration also dispatched a team to the site to assess the situation and initiate an investigation.
Where did the accident take place?
The accident took place on the Farakka-Lalmatiya MGR railway line near the Barhait police station area of Sahibganj district. As per preliminary information, the empty goods train was stationed at Barhait MT when a coal-loaded through-pass goods train, heading from Lalmatiya, crashed into it with force. The collision occurred in the early hours of the morning, around 3:30 am.
Both goods trains as well as tracks on which the accident happened are owned by NTPC and mainly used for transporting coal to its power plants, police said. "The drivers of both the goods trains were killed in the head-on collision," Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Sahebganj Kishore Tirkey told the media.
Eastern Railway spokesperson Kausik Mitra said, "The goods trains and the track both belong to the NTPC. It has nothing to do with the Indian Railways." The line on which the accident happened connects NTPC's Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station in Bihar's Bhagalpur district to the Farakka Power Plant in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
(Inputs from Mukesh Kumar and Anamika Gaur)