Bengal train accident: 9 killed, 36 passengers injured

Bengal : Death toll in Bikaner-Guwahati Express train has reached nine, while 36 other passengers were injured in the accident.

12 coaches of the train had derailed and some overturned near Domohani under the Alipurduar division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) around 5pm on Thursday, a Railway spokesperson said in Guwahati.

Union Minister John Barla confirmed that the rescue operation has ended with injured people sent to the hospitals for treatment. "Passengers were sent to Guwahati by a special train," Barla was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Earlier, Jalpaiguri district magistrate Moumita Godara Basu four bodies were found at the accident site and three others died at the hospital.

"Since some of the injured are in a critical condition, the toll may go up. We are now using cranes for removing the damaged compartments," she said, adding rescuers thoroughly searched each coach for survivors and bodies through darkness and thick fog.

The train was carrying 1053 passengers on board at the time of derailment.

The ill-fated train was running 2 hours and 41 minutes late during its three -day journey. It started from Bikaner late on Wednesday night and was supposed to reach Guwahati early on Friday morning.

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