21 injured as train hits buffer, derails in Sealdah

Kolkata: Nearly 21 passengers were injured as a speeding EMU local rammed into the buffer at the end of track while terminating its run at the Sealdah station at around 10:30 am on Wednesday. It then hit the guardwall adjoining the platform and derailed. 

The Sonarpur Local train was entering platform no 13 at the station’s south section at a speed that was suspected to be above normal: around 10-15 kms per hour, sources revealed. It rammed into the buffer at the end of track due to high speed, according to preliminary investigation. 

One of the coaches on the front jumped off the track due to a massive jerk that shook the station premises with a deafening sound. It also hit another coach of a train on the next track of platform no 14.

Divisional railway manager (Sealdah) Basudev Panda said, “A train is supposed to stop at around four to five metres before the buffer at the end of the run. Although the train was running at a very low speed, it overshot and hit the buffer.”

The passengers inside the coaches of Sonarpur-Sealdah Local train suffered injuries after falling down as they lost balance. Sixteen of them were rushed to B.R. Singh hospital while others were taken to Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital for treatment.

Mr Panda however said that no passenger or anyone on the platform was injured. The senior railway officials rushed to the spot and inspected it. Train movements on platform no 13 and 14 were stopped for the next three hours.

The derailment affected train services in the south section. The Eastern Railway said in a statement that three pairs of EMU locals were cancelled. It ordered an inquiry and suspended driver Mainul Haque and guard R.A. Biswas. Train services resumed at platform no 13 and 14 from 1:29 pm.