Bihar train accident update: CM Nitish Kumar announces ₹4 lakh ex-gratia for families of deceased

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh to be provided to the families of individuals who lost their lives following the derailment of 21 coaches of the North East Express train in Buxar last night, according to the Bihar Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Also Read: Bihar train accident update: 6 dead, 100 injured in derailment of Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express. Top 10 Updates

The 12506 North-East Express, which runs from Anand Vihar Terminal in New Delhi to Kamakhya near Guwahati in Assam, experienced a derailment at 9:35 PM near Raghunathpur station, located in Bihar's Buxar within the Danapur division of the East Central Railway. This incident resulted in 21 coaches derailing.

Meanwhile, Railway authorities have initiated a high-level inquiry on Thursday into the derailment of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express in Bihar's Buxar district, PTI reported citing officials.

"A high-level inquiry has been ordered to investigate the reason behind the incident," East Central Railway's chief public relations officer Birendra Kumar said in a statement.

"An ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh will be given to the next of kin of each deceased, and ₹50,000 will be given to the injured", he said.

Union Minister of State Choubey said, “It is a terrifying scene. I thank the locals for their support in the rescue operation... Thousands of people left all their work and rushed here to help...”

"As soon as I received the news, I informed all the departments from the railway ministry to the Prime Minister's Office. Rescue operations have begun and hospitals were informed to be prepared to take in the injured," Choubey said.

The Station Superintendent of Kamakhya Railway Station, AK Sinha said, "A helpline has been issued by Kamakhya Railway Station: 0361-267-4857. All information is available on this helpline."

Also Read: Bihar Train Accident: 10 trains canceled, 21 diverted as North East Express derails in Buxar. Check full list here

Meanwhile, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that evacuation and rescue operations had been completed. "Evacuation and rescue are complete. All coaches checked. Passengers will be shifted to a special train soon for their onward journey," Vaishnaw posted on X.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said his government is closely monitoring the situation.

This incident occurred a little more than four months following a tragic triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore district in June, which resulted in the loss of 296 lives. On June 20, 2023, three trains—the Coromandel Express, a goods train, and the SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express—were involved in a collision.

In the aftermath, 176 people suffered severe injuries, 451 individuals sustained minor injuries, and 180 received initial first-aid treatment.

(With inputs from agencies)