• Source:JND
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Bihar Train Derailment: At least four passengers died and 80 others were injured after 21 coaches of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express derailed near the Raghunathpur station in Bihar's Buxar district on Wednesday night. According to officials, the derailed at the Raghunathpur railway station in Bihar's Buxar district around 9:35 p.m. and at least two AC III Tier coaches had toppled over while four other coaches jumped the tracks.

Union minister and Buxar MP Ashwini Kumar Choubey visited the accident site early in the morning. “It is a tragic incident. I informed the Railways minister, DM, NDRF, SDRF, chief secretary and DGP about the incident last night and also urged people to reach the accident site and help people. I thank all the local residents for the aid. The reason behind the incident is being investigated,” Choubey said.

Meanwhile, Assam CM HB Sarma said, "I have received the news of the derailment of North East Express 12506 - from Anand Vihar to Kamakhya. We are closely monitoring the situation and are establishing contact with local authorities and other agencies."

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on social media network X that the train's evacuation and rescue were complete and he "Will find the root cause of derailment" while offering condolences. Several police officials were also seen at the spot helping rescue passengers from the train.

Jagdishpur SDPO Rajiv Chandra Singh said electric wires poles, and rail tracks have been damaged due to the accident. He said that while some coaches lost balance and fell, none of them overturned due to which there are less casualties. "The technical team can give the details of the cause (of the accident)," he added.

Following the accident, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav issued a statement saying that the departments of disaster management and health have been asked to take immediate steps to ensure the quickest possible relief to as many people as possible. "I have also spoken to the district magistrates of Buxar and Bhojpur (where Ara is headquartered) with instructions to reach the site at the earliest and speed up relief work," he said.

"In Sub-Divisional Hospital Jagdishpur and Shahpur Hospital, District Bhojpur, medical officers and other health workers are ready for rescue and relief operations. Ambulances from Rohtas, Buxar and Bhojpur districts have been sent to the spot," Yadav added.

Relief measures were initiated immediately after the incident, with ambulances and doctors rushing to the site. A scratch rake was dispatched from Patna to ferry passengers from the accident site, the official said. A scratch rake is a temporary rake with a similar configuration as the original train. Six buses too were sent to the accident site to evacuate the passengers to safety.

At least 18 trains operating on the route, including the Rajdhani Express between Delhi and Dibrugarh, have been diverted. The derailment affected train movement on the crucial Deen Dayal Upadhyay-Howrah route, which connects Patna, Jhajha, Kiul, Jasidih and Pataliputra.

"Medical teams have been sent to the spot," Deepak Kumar, Inspector, Railway Police Force, told reporters, adding that the district administration had alerted local hospitals in Buxar town.

"We have sent rescue and medical teams to the spot. The railways have also issued emergency helpline numbers for passengers. These are 9771449971 (Patna), 8905697493 (Danapur), 8306182542 (Ara), 8306182542 and 7759070004," he said.