14 waggons derail in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj and crash into a stationary train; a major disaster is narrowly averted.
A major train mishap was narrowly averted in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district early Thursday morning, when 14 waggons of a freight train derailed at high speed and crashed into a stationary goods train at the Binduwasini rake loading site in Barharwa block.
According to railway officials, the incident unfolded when a fully loaded rake—parked at the siding—suddenly began rolling down uncontrollably without a driver or brake control. It rammed into another goods train parked on the adjacent track, causing a massive crash that led to a domino derailment. The waggons, filled with stone chips, were tossed into the air, some piling atop one another in a terrifying scene captured on camera.
Although there were no human casualties, 14 goats grazing near the tracks were killed, and the yard was left in panic and shock. Eyewitnesses described it as a “scene from a disaster movie,” with waggons flying off the rails and the ground shaking from the impact.
Railway property suffered extensive damage, with preliminary estimates suggesting losses running into lakhs. Emergency response teams from the Malda and Sahibganj divisions were quickly deployed with heavy machinery and cranes to clear the wreckage.
Malda Division PRO Pranay Kumar confirmed that the DRM and senior officials were at the site, and restoration work is underway. A complete damage assessment is expected by evening.
An official inquiry has been launched to determine whether technical failure or human error led to the derailment. Authorities have promised strict action against anyone found responsible.
Locals, still shaken by the near-tragedy, expressed relief that no lives were lost. Efforts are now on to restore normal operations and ensure such an incident does not recur.
Source: The Statesman
