Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the site of the train collision at Rangapani near New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal on Monday afternoon and took stock of the situation. The shocking collision of a goods train with the Kanchanjunga Express resulted in the demise of seven passengers and two railway staffers. As many as 41 were injured in the incident.
In a statement, the ministry said nine people suffered grievous injuries and 32 simple or minor injuries. According to initial ground reports based on the statements of the local police, 15 people were said to have lost their lives in the accident. However, the ministry clarified that the number of deaths is nine, so far.
From West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the Tripura Home Secretary, here are top reactions to the Kanchanjunga Express train accident:
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw: "The rescue operation is complete. Now our entire focus is on restoration. This is a mainline.... This is not the time for politics. The full focus should be on rescue and restoration. The complete focus is on passenger safety.
"The accident will be thoroughly investigated by the Commissioner of Railway Safety."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: "This accident could have been worse. Seventy-eighty people are injured and around 20 are critical. When one train hits another, then it becomes difficult to estimate how many people are injured
"The railways have become parentless. Though the ministry is there, the old glory is missing. Only beautification is being done, but they do not care about passenger amenities. They are only keen on hiking fares... The number of train accidents has gone up. Accidents are not in anyone's control, this is a fact. But, the railways is not implementing the anti-collision system properly."
Tripura Home Secretary Pradip Kumar Chakravarty: "We have sought passenger data from the railway authority to check if there is any casualty from our state... The state government also declared to provide Rs 2 lakh to the next kin of any person from the state in case of any death in the accident and medical expenditure to the injured persons."
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma: "The tragic train collision between the Kanchenjunga Express and a goods train is extremely unfortunate... We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide all necessary assistance as and when required
"We are checking if any deceased or injured is from Assam. So far, we have not received any names. Our chief secretary is personally monitoring the situation."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw Ji is on the way to the site of the mishap as well."
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge: "As a responsible Opposition, it is our bounden duty to underline how the Modi Government has systematically converted the Rail Ministry into a platform of 'Camera-driven' self-promotion... Today's tragedy is yet another reminder of this stark reality."